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THE NEW YOhK

PUBLIC LIBRARY,

ASTOn, tENOX AND
TjLOtN FOUNP4T'.3NS.

UENKY P. WELL8.

. . .-i^Ol;S \M) FL^-iACKi.h

H i::\ ^^ V i \\ i:li..s

h '•'. .! I' ■ [ ■•'i A,

-.n ■■...

FLY-RODS AND FLY-TACKLE

SUGGESTIONS AS TO THEIR
MANUFACTURE AND USE

By henry p. wells

ILLUSTRATED

REVISED AND ENLARGED EDITION

NEW YORK AND LONDON

HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS

1901

THl::Nt. '^j

PUBLICU.,-. v^.Y

ASTOR, LFNOX AND
■ • DEN F'HJNUATIO' '■

ItOI

AU rights rtxerved.

May, 1901.

• •• •• •

• • • •.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER L

'Page

Fuk'hookSy and the Principles which Oovem their Efficiency . 9

CHAPTER 11.
How Fish-hooks are Afade 4^

CHAPTER III '
Lines 51

CHAPTER IV. '
Leaders . . . • 79

CHAPTER V.
Heels 140

CHAPTER VL
Rods and Bod Material 150

CHAPTER VIL
IM-making •. . . . 210

CHAPTER VIII
Repairs £90

Contents.

CHAPTER IX. ^

Page

Casting the Fly S18

CHAPTER X,
FUes and FlyflMng S51

CHAPTER XI.
MiieeUaneous Suggettums 407

INDEX 441

INTRODUCTION.

Not before you anglers who ?iave grown gray in
the use of the rod do I presume to display my feeble
light. It is to the beginner that I address myself re-
memberingy during my oum novitiate, with what long-
ing I soughty and how gratefuUy I would have received,
the information contained in this book.

HsNRT P. Wells.

FRANKLIN S. BILLINGS

IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF A COMPANIONSHIP
THAT HAS BRIGHTENED MANY A CAMP-
FIRE IN THE WILDERNESS

PREFACE.

£iGHT or nine years ago my publishers informed me
that this book would soon be out of print, and proposed
a new edition. I replied that I desired to revise and
partly, at least, to rewrite it, before doing which I
wished to begin and conclude certain experiments, the
deductions from which I believed would add materially
to the value of the book. Though these experiments
were many in number, that which I regarded as of first
importance was the further investigation of how lines,
leaders, and flies appeared to trout under the varying
conditions of light and water which confront the angler
when rod in hand. It is not my nature to be content
with one experiment when another and a more conclu-
sive method of investigation suggests itself. My plan
was to procure a diver's outfit, together with the nec-
essary skilled assistance, and at various depths beneath
the surface of the water, and over light and dark col-
ored bottoms, and in sunshine and shadow, myself im-
personate a fish while a friend angled for me, as it were.
Thus, and with aid of telephonic communication and
a stenographer, I hoped in two or three weeks' time to
make quite an impression on the problem.

But, alas, how wide the divergence between inten-
tion and performance.

Summer after summer has come and gone; and al-

Preface.

ways it has been, as it still is, when the warm weather
next comes I will surely do this thing. Still it may be
that I shall never, until too late, find opportunity for
this investigation, so I mention the matter here in the
hope that some other, more fortunately circumstanced,
may act on the suggestion, and by so doing earn, as he
will merit, the thanks of the entire angling fraternity.

Thus it was that the winter of 1900 was upon me
and nothing towards the revision of this book had been
done. Many experiments and investigations had been
made, but that nearest my heart still seemed as far
from inception as when the idea first entered my mind.
So it appeared better to wait no longer on the uncertain-
ties of the future, and this new edition is the result.

The book has been carefully reconsidered from be-
ginning to end. It has been rewritten wherever rewrit-
ing seemed desirable, and much new matter has been
added and old matter cut out.

The labor spent in its preparation, in its composition,
and in its journey through the press, was from first to
last a labor of love, and so it would seem to have been
accepted. The uniform consideration and many valued
attentions shown me when on strange waters, and in-
deed elsewhere, from those who knew me only as its
author, have been a source of gratification difficult to
exaggerate. Should this revised edition further cement
these kindly relations, I shall be more than content.

Henry P. Wells.
New York, April 1, 1901.

FLY-RODS AND FLY-TACKLE.

CHAPTER L

FI8H'BOOK8, AND THE PRINCIPLES WHICH GOVERN THEIR
EFFICIENCY.

Thb hook is the foundation of the Angler's Art: it
is the point of attack. Weakness or inefficiency here
can be aided little by the art of him who handles it, and
not at all by any excellence of tackle elsewhere. The
most skilled can bat strike at the proper moment, and
with the proper degree of force.

What senses li fish has, and to what degree they are
developed, has been the subject of frequent discussion;
and while there may be and still is some doubt among
scientists as to what he does possess, there can be but
one opinion among anglers: that he is, at least at times,
altogether destitute of the sense of propriety. With-
ont consultation with the angler, and without the slight-
est deference to his wishes, he rises to the fiy or ignores
it, as to him seems best; and when he does come he
comes in his own way, seizing the fly with resolution
or diffidence, and in a manner over which the angler
has no control.

Any hook which will hang together will secure the fish
at times, and so will a bean-pole and clothes-line; but
this is the art of the hippopotamus, who flounders through

10 FI/y-Tods wnd Fhy-taclde.

jungle and morass by sheer brate force, rather than that
of the civilized man, who sweeps the one from his path
and bridges the other.

A lady seeking to tickle the ear of a celebrated painter
with that refinement of flattery only possible to women,
asked how he mixed his colors to produce effects so
lovely and so unusual. Like the trout, his sense of pro-
priety was, at least temporarily, dormant. He refused
absolutely to rise to that fly, notwithstanding the skill
and delicacy of the cast. Gruffly he replied that he
mixed them with his brains.

So the angler should fish with his brains, promptly
tracing an effect to its cause, taking to heart every hint
so obtained, whether it tends to improvement of tackle,
or its use. Otherwise he is nothing but a pot-fisherman,
whose proper fishing-ground is the market, and whose
only tackle should be hard cash.

Tfke Angler considers his pursuit as a fine art, of
which merely to obtain fish is but small part — these
he can get more cheaply and in greater abundance in
the market. It is the way the thing is done — ^this and
the open air, the odor of the woods and flowers, the
laughter of the running water, the beauty and song of
the birds, and that peace and content which open the
heart of man to see and love the ever-changing beauties
of nature — these give to that pastime a charm pos-
sessed by no other. Though old age and infirmity come
on, and the foot once familiar with wood and stream is
now confined to the narrow limits of a chamber, when
every other earthly pursuit has lost its zest, who ever
heard even then that the enthusiasm of the angler had
diminished, or that the dim eye failed to kindle at the
recollection and tale of earlier triumphs with the rod.

Fishrhoohs. 11

Angler! — the term is to me a title of nobility, an order
of knighthood open to personal merit alone. Not to
every one who casts the fly is it given to belong to this
brotherhood. He who would claim admission must be
gentle> kindly, courteous, temperate, unselfish ; a lover
of nature, a pleasant companion, and a true friend — and
let us be thankful there are many such.

The relation of all this to fish-hooks is somewhat
obscure, so perhaps it would be well to return to the
point.

Since the gratification of a capture is measured large-
ly by the degree of skill required to make it, it is desir-
able to eliminate as far as possible all chance from
affecting the result ; so, if it may be, that when the fly
is touched, no matter how lightly or from what direc-
tion, the hook will fasten if manipulated with skill.

Ignorance of the mechanical principles which should
be embodied in a fish-hook, and which govern its effi-
ciency, is altogether too common. Many examine a fly,
and if it please in color, size, and neatness, little thought
is given to the form of the hook.

The hooks ordinarily sold are none of them quite per-
fect, while many are very faulty in this respect. To
formulate, if it may be, some simple and readily applied
rule, guided by which the angler can justly criticise any
form of hook at a glance, is the purpose of the remainder
of this chapter.

If it is desired to drive a nail into a board to the
greatest depth possible with a single blow of a hammer,
everybody knows the blow should be delivered fair and
straight upon its head, and by no means obliquely. And
thus with a fish-hook. Though the power is first applied
as a sudden pull, yet as it is transmitted through the

12 Fhy-rods a/nd FI/y4acJde.

curved form of the hook, eventually its direction is
changed, and it becomes strictly a blow, which, to give
the maximum of penetration, should be delivered in a
direct line with the point.

This result would be well accomplished by any form
of hook, were it not that another principle intervenes ;
for the moment the forward movement of the hook,
due to the pull on the line, is arrested by an obstruc-
tion at the point, the point tends to halt while the re-
mainder of the hook still advances. Thus a cant is
instantly given to the hook, the direction of the point
is thrown out of line, and at an angle with the move-
ment — ^the blow becomes oblique instead of direct — and
the hook tends to rake its way out of the fish's mouth,
rather than to imbed itself therein. (See Fig. 2.)

Try the experiment yourself.

Holding a hook in the position shown in Fig. 5
(page 19), except that the shank should be horizontal,
insert its point lightly in any soft substance which will,
like the inside of the mouth of a fish, permit the hook
freely to assume its own position — a piece of blotting-
paper for example. Now pull on the gut attached to
the hook, and at once it will assume the position claimed
and indicated. This change of position is the founda-
tion of the main principle hereafter announced. Other
considerations there are which affect the construction
of hooks, but they are of very secondary importance.

Mr. H. Cholmondely Pennell, in his " Modern Practi-
cal Angler " (London, 1870), has treated this subject with
marked ability. We feel certain that such of our read-
ers as have not seen his book, will not think it amiss
if we quote him somewhat fuUy. In this feeling it is
hoped he will join.

Fishrhoohs, 13

He discnsses the question as follows :

'' Extraordinary as it may seem in such a mechanical
age as ours^ we cannot go into a tackle shop, and buy
a hook in which one or more glaring defects^ or of
offences against the first principles of mechanics, cannot
be pointed out. The most common fault of all, perhaps,
lies in the shape of the bend. I have shown, when allud-
ing to this subject in the Book of the Pike, how great
is the difference in the penetrating powers of different
bends. Between the two extremes it amounts to no less
than cent, per cent. ; and yet even the best of these fall
below the point of efficiency which ought to be attain-
able. Another obvious fault is overfineness in the wire,
from which it results that when the point comes sharply
in contact with a bone or other hard portion of a fish's
mouth, or even on the sudden jerk occasioned by strik-
ing softer material, it 'springs' — ^that is, yields by a wid-
ening of the bend outward — ^and so fails to penetrate.
On the form of the shank of the hook, again depends,
to a considerable extent in fly-fishing, the proper and
even swim of the lure ; and while the point and barb are
the first portions of the hook to be brought into requisi-
tion in practice, it would seem that they are the last on
which any theoretical consideration has been bestowed.

** The theory of hooks, as based simply on mechanical
principles, should probably run somewhat as follows :

^' 1. What are the objects to be aimed at in a perfect
hook?—
"a. Penetration.
" h. Holding power,
"c. Strength.
"d Lightness and neatness.

^' 2. How are these to be attained and combined ?

Fly-rods amd Fly4acJde.

^^Penetration. — CoBteris paribusy the penetrating power
of any hook will be greater in proportion, as the angle
of impact — ^the angle, that is, at which the point of the
hook strikes the fish's mouth — coincides with the direc-
tion of the force applied (i.e., the pall of the line) ; or to
illustrate this by a diagram :

Flg.l.

Fig. 8.

Fig. 3.

The dotted line a e represents the direction of the ap-
plied force ; the penetration will be greater as the direc-
tion of the line of the point c d is coincident with that
of a e. In Fig. 1 these two lines actually correspond, and
if there were no other matters to be taken into consider-
ation, this hook, so far as penetration depending on bend
is concerned, would be mechanically perfect. Fig. 2 rep-
resents a hook in which the converse of the above prin-
ciple is illustrated.

"These principles hold good equally in the case of
hooks the points of which are crooked or turned side-
ways, as in the Eirbys and Snecks, the penetration dimin-

Fiahrhooka, 15

ishing as the point is tamed from the direction of the
applied force, and accordingly that is the one particular
in which the Limerick is superior to the other bends.
The Sproat and Round bends have also a similar advan-
tage. In all these hooks the angle of impact, such as it
is, is direct.

** The above arguments are based, it will be observed,
on the assumption that in all other respects, except the
bend, the hooks under comparison are equal. But in
fact hooks are divided into two broad divisions, the one
possessing and the other lacking an element which has
an obvious bearing on the penetrative power. I refer
to the shape of the shank, whether straight or 'hog-
backed' (curved). The substitution of a necessarily
more or less yielding and elastic curve for a perfectly
straight and rigid shank, cannot but affect adversely the
penetrating powers. As regards the penetration of the
point itself, it is clear that, other circumstances being
equal, the smaller the hole to be made the less will be
the force required to make it ; and also that a long,
gtraightly tapered point, like that shown in Fig. 1, will
penetrate more easily than a shorter and ^blunter,'
or hoUowed aiU, point of the form represented in Fig. 3.
This latter principle is merely, in fact, a converse ap-
plication of the mechanical truism, that what is gained
in speed is lost in power. If two barbs are of the same
maximum diameter, and one is twice as long as the
other, the longer barb will, for practical purposes, pene-
trate with half the pressure required by the shorter.

"Again, with regard to the 'point side' of the barb
(c d in diagram), it is obvious that in order to insure a
firm and deep penetration, this side must be of a proper
length. The want of length in this part of the hook is

16 Fhf^ods a/nd Fly4ac1de,

one of the faults of the 'Sproat bend,' which is exagger-
ated for sake of illustration in Fig. 3.

^^ Holding Power, — To illustrate this I shall take a
case which is both the most common in practice, and will
admit of a theoretical demonstration : that of the hook
haying penetrated quite through the lip of theflsh^ so
that the point protrudes. In this case it is evident that,
when once hooked, the nearer the point approaches the
shank of the hook, the less chance must the fish have of
escaping. This will be seen by carrying the principle
to the extreme limit — and assuming that the point was
so bent in after hooking as actually to touch the shank;
the fish's lip would then be enclosed in a complete tri-
angle, from which, of course, there could be no possible
escape.

" Strength. — ^It is obvious that those portions of the
hook which are nearly or quite in the same line as the
penetrating or holding force, have little or no strain to
bear. This is the case with the shank and with the
short or point side of the hook shown in Fig. 1. The
strain, therefore, is thrown on the top side, and more
especially on the angle /, and it is precisely in this
point that the common Sneck bends have hitherto failed
in practice. So marked has been this failure, that I
have known three salmon to be lost within an hour with
Sneck hooks, all by breakages at the angle in question.

^' Lightness and NecUnesa, — ^The lightest form of hook,
other points being equal, must evidently be that in which,
while retaining the requisite thickness of metal at the
portion subject to strain, the parts not so subject— that
is, the shank and ^ point side ' — are tapered away towards
the ends. Hooks so tapered are also neater when em-
ployed for flies, and more convenient for general use.

Fish-hook^, 17

" The patterns of hook which at present most nearly
£ulfil the conditions indicated by a practical application
of the foregoing theory are the Sneck and Sproat bend
books; the former is, however, marred by two faults — ^the
taming to one side of the point, and the lack of strength
above described; and the latter by the want of depth
and power in the point side, the hollowed out or blunted
shape of the barb, and the curved or * hog-backed' form
of the shank. Appearance, or neatness, is of course a
matter of taste, but whatever other claims the Sproat
bend has upon our suffrages they can hardly, I think, be
urged on the score of beauty. The Limerick hook also
Las the disadvantage, though in a less exaggerated form
than the ^ Sproat,' of being hog-backed, which, as I have
shown, prevents the fly swimming straight and even, and
gives it an inclination to turn in the water, like a min-
iature spinning-bait. The Round and Kirby bends are
very deficient in penetrating power, and disproportion-
ately short in the shank as compared to their breadth of
bend, either for appearance or use, more particularly in
the matter of flies.

^^ In the pattern of hook which is now being manu-
factured by Messrs. Hutchinson, of Kendal, under my
name, I have endeavored to hit the medium between
theoretical and practical requirements, and to combine
as nearly as possible the advantages of the various bends
referred to, and especially of the Sproat and Sneck bends,
while avoiding what I believe to be their faults.

^' Diagrams both of this hook and of the other hooks
described are appended, and by applying to them the
principles advocated, my readers will be able to form
their own conclusions as to how far the pattern I rec-
ommend fulfils the ideal sketched out."

Fly-rods <md Fly-tacJde.

(Four illustrations of forms familiar to American an-
glers have been added to those in Mr. Pennell's book.

Round. Kirbj.

Limerick. Sneck. ^nnelL

Sproat.

O'Shanghueesy. Aberdeen.
Fig. 4.

Kiiuey.

The more acute the angle a [Fig. 4], the more certainly
the hook will fasten according to Mr. PennelPs theory.)
In the following illustration A represents a hook in
the position it will assume in response to the pull of the

Fishrhoohs. Id

line, as shown by our former experiment ; B C will then
represent the " draft-line." That side of the barb marked
a I have termed the "inner" or "advancing side;" that
marked d is intended when the " outer " or " following "
side is mentioned.

It is hoped that the form of this diagram and the no-
menclature of its parts will be well fixed in the mind,
since then what follows will be easily understood.

Pljf.5.

It will be noticed that Mr. Pennell has determined
the penetrating angle from the (mter line of the barb.
I cannot but think this an oversight on his part, and one
which affects his results. It is not the ^^ following " {d)
but the *^ advancing ^^ side (a) of stcch a cutting edge or
penetrating point which determines its promptness to en-
gage, as well as the direction which it will follow.

I say mch a penetrating point, for if the " following "
side (d) of the point or edge is in actual contact with the
surface to be penetrated (as shown in Mr. Pennell's firat
figure, page 14), it guides the edge in its own direction,
since that is the line of least resistance. It is clear that
this is not the case with a fish-hook, since there the " fol-
lowing edge {d) is raised above, and is not in contact
with the surface to be penetrated.

But an illustration familiar to all will serve to make
this clearer than pages of theory.

Take the common carpenter's chisel, and apply it to a

20 Fly^nods omd Fly4acUe.

board, with the bevel down and in contact with the
board. The bevel here guides the edge, and forces it to
advance parallel with the surface upon which the bevel
rests; there is not the slightest tendency to bury. It
would seem to follow from this that the hook shown
in the first of Mr. Pennell's figures is by no means
theoretically perfect as to penetration (or promptness
^'to bite," which is the idea I understand Mr. Pennell
intends to convey), but on the contrary it is both theo-
retically and practically imperfect in this respect.

Now let us reverse the chisel and apply it to the board
with the bevelled side uppermost, and at such an angle
that the flat side (which will then become what we have
termed the " following " side) does not touch the board.
Here we have an exact reproduction of the penetrating
point of a fish-hook, one governed by exactly the same
laws. Attempt to cut with the chisel held in this posi-
tion ! It buries at once in the board and comes to a halt.
The " advancing " edge, the bevel, guides and forces it
downward.

In considering the penetration of a fish-hook, it must
not be forgotten that the problem is not to pierce an
obstacle squarely across the path of the hook ; but its
point is to engage with an oblique surface, and when so
engaged it should turn at once from its former path and
bury downward.

If the foregoing is true, then it again follows that the
" outer line " of the barb should not point to the shank
of the hook, since then the " following " side of the
penetrating edge is in contact with the surface to be
penetrated, and must guide the point in its own line ;
and thus any tendency to deviate therefrom — in other
words, to bury — is checked.

Fishrhooka. 21

It is hoped it will now be conceded that the " inner^
and not the '^ outer," profile of the barb determines the
direction in which the hook will respond to a pull upon
the line. It also results from these considerations that
the greater the angle which the '^ inner " profile of the
barb makes with the "draft-line," the deeper the hook
will bury, if it penetrates at all.

If it penetrates at aUy and here, practically, is the pith
of the whole matter. For if the hook does not penetrate
at all, the thought of what might have happened had
this been otherwise will afford but cold comfort to him
who uses it.

Now if we place any hook bought at random in the
market, in the position stiown in the following figure, it
is at once apparent that the ^^ advancing" side of the
barb a makes a sufficient angle with the " draft-line," to
insure that if the barb enters at all it must bury. So
we may dismiss this requirement from our minds as
being sufficiently satisfied in any hook which has a barb.

We may then turn our undivided attention to the prob-
lem how to secure this all-important first engagement.
This appears to admit of solution by an easy method,
one having, it would seem, the merit that it permits of
practical application at a glance, and under dmost any
circumstances.

Let A (Fig. 6) be a hook placed in the position shown
upon any flat surface, B C (the glass of the dealer's

V\g.^

Fly-roda cmd Fly-tackle.

show-case, for example). B C (the level of the glass)
will then represent the "draft-line" of the hook; and
as the line a of the inner side of the harb approaches
this line, short of actual coincidence, so will the soreness
of the hook increase, since then it will penetrate easily,
yet bury sufficiently.

The demonstration of this principle, and the statement
of how it may be used to discriminate between hooks of
all forms, may be made in one breath. Let Fig. 7 rep-
resent the barbs of two hooks so placed; the line B C
is the flat surface, and a a the line of the inner side
of the barb, as before. Now let us construct the par-
allelogram b c d Cyoi which the line a of the inner side
of the barb is the diagonal.

Pig. T.

This is the well-known " parallelogram of forces " of
the books, and its well-settled principles teach us at a
glance that the side ft c of the parallelogram (or that
parallel to the flat surface B G) represents correctly the
penetrating power of the hook ; while the side c e (that
perpendicular to the flat surface) will show the relative
tendency of the hook to rake its way out of the fish's
mouth. Of course the intending purchaser, when he
places any hook upon the glass show-case of the dealer
in the position shown, can at once construct this paral-

lelogram in his mind, and at once determine sufficiently
for all practical purposeB the relative length of the side
parallel with the flat surface to that perpendicular to it.
To sum up : any hook in which the side parallel to the
flat surface is not longer than that perpendicular to it,
is of vicious construction and should be rejected.

It was my purpose to prepare a table from actual
trial, giving the number of pounds and ounces which
each variety of hook shown in Fig. 4 required to bury
it to the barb by a direct pull on its shank. But delay
in gathering together all the varieties, and of uniform
size so as to admit of fair comparison, together with
further reflection on the subject, have convinced me that '
such a table would not be worth the space it would oc-
cupy. Each can determine the matter for himself, as
far as it can be of any practical importance, by the ap-
plication of the preceding simple rule.

Any of the forms of hook shown will take fish at
times, nor will the general average of the catch of one
BO greatly exceed that of the other — provided always the
fish are rising boldly. But if they are timid and take
the fly gingerly, or if they are rising but seldom and
the prospect of sport is poor, then, when the discour-
aged angler is apt to allow his attention to be distracted
from his flies and be backward in responding to an offer,
heed of this point will make a marked difference in re-
sult. And this brings me to the point which was the
prime impelling cause of this inordinately long preamble.

It is not my purpose, and I beg in no part of this
book to be understood to play the Sir Oracle — for
that is at the same time to play the fooL I recognize
the wide divergence of opinion as to many points en-
tertained by my confessed superiors in the art of fly-

24 Fly-Toda (md Fly-tacJde.

fishing and its appliances. Somebody must be wrong^^
and it would be absurd for me to intimate or suppose
that I alone was exempt from mistake. Therefore, when
an opinion is stated its foundation is also given, trusting
to that tribunal, the great fraternity of anglers — from
whose judgment in these matters there is no appeal —
to sustain me when in the right, and to consign me to
merited oblivion when in 1;he wrong. This course I
have followed, and shall continue as far as permitted by
the consideration that man is not immortal, and that the
sole occupation of this life is not to read books on an-
gling.

But to come back to the point.

I would warn my brother anglers, novice and expert
alike, against those small hooks (so tempting when em-
bodied in a small fiy, because the hook is so well con-
cealed) in which the distance across the bend, from the
barb to the shank, is but little exceeded by the length
of the shank itself.

Apply one of these hooks to a flat surface, as shown
in Fig. 6, on page 21. At once it is apparent that the
angle of penetration may be made to depend altogether
on the length of the shank {b c in that figure) ; and that
if the shank of the hook there shown terminated at / (it
would then show about the proportions of the hooks re-
ferred to), the forward edge of the barb a would be near-
ly perpendicular, and its tendency to penetrate, or in
other words to take hold, very slight. If we add to this
the fact that these hooks are made of very thin wire, and
consequently must spring some, thus enlarging the dis-
tance across the curve still more, we obtain a result even
more vicious than that shown at the left hand of Fig. 7.

No form of bend, be it never so eifcellent, can remedy

Fish-hooks. 25

this fatal error of construction. Such hooks reverse the
proprieties, for they are a delusion and a snare, not to
the fish; but to the fisherman; and this assertion is made
with the more emphasis since, at the first glance, they so
seem to present the efliciency of a large hook with the
unobtrusiveness of a smaller one, that they are calcu-
lated to deceive even the elect.

Prior to the issue of the first edition of this book the
writer had usually employed the Sproat-bend hook in
his own fishing, and then believed this form of hook,
when made with sufficient barb, to be, not only the best
obtainable, but as nearly a perfect compromise between
the various conflicting desiderata in a fish-hook as was
practically possible.

Further thought and experience has as yet suggested
no modification of this view. If that form of hook could
but be had with its leader end terminating in a turned-
down loop-eye — ^which seems at present not to be the
case, at least in this country — the writer would use no
other; and it is believed that those who think the appli-
ances of their fathers are still good enough for them,
and who prefer flies of which a gut strand or loop is an
integral part of their structure, cannot do better than to
have them tied on a good Sproat hook. Some of these
hooks are made with a very small barb, on the theory
that the wound made by the hook is smaller, and that
therefore the probability of disengagement is lessened,
while ease of penetration is increased. The latter is un-
doubtedly true, but the former would seem to be an
error sufficiently grave to more than over-balance the
conceded advantage. For the integument into which
the hook is intended to be driven is not brittle like glass,
but elastic like rubber ; and the barb of the hook does

26 Fly-rods and Fly4aoJde.

not cut its way before it as does a knife, but separates the
tissue and distends the opening so made; and this closes
again close around the hook the moment the passage of
the barb will permit. Who ever saw a trout of any size
taken from the water in which the wound of the hook
had not been enlarged by its struggles? The impor-
tance, then, of a fairly prominent barb is apparent, and
its just proportions will be a compromise, determined by
a due and combined consideration both of holding power
and ease of penetration.

By the preceding simple method the angler can de-
termine the efficiency of any form of hook at once. One
other word of caution and I have done. Beware of
short angular bends in the curvature of a hook, particu-
larly on the shank side, of which some of the " Sneck "
bends will serve as an example. For a moment's consid-
eration will show that such a hook must be far better in
material and temper than a hook in which the curves
are softened off, before it will bear an equal strain.

That the side rake of the "Sneck" is an evil when
used in fly-fishing, is not by any means beyond ques-
tion. A fish-hook is a creature of compromise — an arti-
cle formed by the union of several discordant elements,
each opposed to the other. What concession each shall
make is a matter for sound judgment. A hook theoreti-
cally perfect in all respects cannot be, from the nature
of the case.

The side rake undoubtedly somewhat augments the
power required to bury the hook over the barb, but I
am by no means certain that this loss is not more than
made good by an increased certainty in that most essen-
tial quality of all — promptness of initial engagement in
all positions. It will be generally conceded that the

Fish-hooks. 27

demonstration on the part of the angler which answers
a rise, leaves a wide margin of power to meet this de-
mand many times maltiplied.

Theoretically this shifting the barb end to one side
shoald prevent the fly from swimming on an even keel,
but I apprehend this evil may well be classed with the
"hog-back" of the Sproat and O'Shaugnessy, as of the-
oretical rather than practical importance. The form of
barb given to this hook is generally superior to the
Sproat, and if its point occupied the same relative po-
sition in reference to the " draft-line," I should prefer
it ; but always, be it understood, with the angle which
unites the bend to the shank somewhat softened off, as
indeed it now is in some, but not all, makes of this
hook. Omitting the " side rake," we should then have
Mr. Pennell's form.

The O'Shaugnessy is also an excellent hook. While
the general form of the barb is such as to afford easy
penetration, its extreme point is given a slight bend out-
ward to insure prompt initial engagement. Many ex-
cellent American anglers consider this the best of all
hooks.

The Barbless speaks for itself. It is quite prompt to
engage, requires less force than any other to imbed it,
and, as to holding power,*is so dead sure that to my
mind it is almost unsportsmanlike to use it.

Again, for the benefit of the novice we emphasize the
caution that he cannot be too particular as to this part
of his outfit. Remember it is always the best fish which
are lost, and absolutely eschew cheap hooks.

During August, 1884, and since the foregoing was
written, a friend presented me with a couple of dozen
" Pennell " hooks adapted to the large flies used on the

28 Fly-rods and Fly-tackle.

trouting waters of North-western Maine. On these I
tied a number of flies, and gave them during the ensu-
ing six weeks, with others tied upon Sneck-bend hooks
of like size, a careful trial in that region.

The trout of that locality may, for our purpose, be
divided into three classes — the small, including those up
to one and a half pounds ; the medium, including those
up to three pounds; and the large, embracing those above
that weight. The small and the medium fish may read-
ily be taken with two or more flies handled in the usu-
al manner — that is, with the drop flies just skimming the
surface of the water ; but the habitual caution of the
large fish seems best to be overcome by quite a differ-
ent method of temptation. A single large fly moving
very slowly about six inches under water appears most
to their taste. The larger the trout the more slowly
he approaches and takes in the fly, but the more prompt-
ly he realizes and rejects the deception if time is al-
lowed him so to do. The eye alone directs when to
strike. To strike, and at the proper moment, is neces-
sary, while the duration of that moment might well
serve as a type of brevity. Again the offer comes
when least expected, like a thief in the night. Then
the utmost promptness of action is requisite, together
with no little vigor, to transmit the impulse to the hook
through the half -sunken line. The highest attainable
excellence in every portion of his outfit, and unremit-
ting vigilance on the part of the angler, alone will pre-
vent the most bitter disappointment, as he gazes, with
feelings beggaring description, on the subsiding swirl
of the mighty fish, which, though he combats the feel-
ing with all the excuses his ingenuity can devise,
his inner consciousness tells him should have been

Fish-hooks. 89

his own. I speak from the heart, for '^I have been
there."

Fly-fishing for large trout had been below par during
the fall of 1883. On September 29th I was informed
that some had been seen that morning rolling in the
pool below the lumber-dam. A hasty dinner finished,
and I was at the pool. Up rolled a trout two feet long
before I could prepare to cast. To my brothers of the
angle who have never seen a trout of over three pounds
rise to the surface, I would say they have something
yet to live for. I can liken it to nothing better than
the swirl made by the propeller of a steamer when it
first starts from inaction into motion. It is a sight to
quicken the circulation of an iceberg. Till dark I cast,
employing every resource of the art known to me.
Every four or five minutes one would break the surface,
and nearly give me a fit with the eagerness with which
I would hasten to lay my fly in front of him, before he
could vanish from my sight and its neighborhood. It
was all in vain. Night fell, and no fish of over one and
a half pounds had rewarded my efforts. So, disappointed
and disgusted, but not discouraged, I vowed vengeance
on the morrow, and betook myself to camp, studying the
problem, and how its conditions could be varied that the
next day might have a happier issue. I decided on a
new combination of form and color in the fly, and no
hook in my own stock being quite suitable, I begged
one from a brother angler. I did not like its bend, but
still there was a better chance with any hook, if they
could be induced to take it, than with the best if it were
ignored.

Bright and early the next morning my guide and I
landed from our boat upon the boom above the dam, and

80 Fly-rods and Fly-tacHe.

started to walk it on our way to the pool below. Show
covered the slippery logs, by no means improving the
footing ; so, gingerly and with the utmost caution, I es-
sayed the perilous passage. I don't know how it hap-
pened, one moment I was on the boom, the next I was
up to my ears in the icy flood, and scrambling for the
bank without unnecessary delay. But I clung to my
rod, and, with everything but my ardor chilled to the
bone, betook myself to the pool. There, standing beside
the fire that the ready axe of my guide quickly made,
I began the last day's fishing of the year. A bitter
wind drew down the valley, and my hands, covered by
a pair of fingerless gloves now sopping wet, ached in
a manner that soon became intolerable. I had cast for
about five minutes in vain when I essayed to remove
them, my fly lying on the water and sinking below the
surface. Something told me to strike, I know not what,
for I saw nothing; but strike I did, with a vigor accent-
ed by my personal discomfort, and proportioned to the
sunken line to be moved. Had I struck the dam itself
the resistance could not have been more stubborn and
unyielding. But, alas ! I held him but for the moment.
I cast till noon, then to camp, changed to dry clothes,
dined, and back, and hammered away at that pool till
dark, and never got a rise from a fish of over two pounds.
I believed then, and I still believe, that with a prop-
erly constructed hook, barring accidents of a different
kind, he would have been mine. But I knew the hook
was one calculated to rake its way out of a fish's mouth
rather than to bury and hold. I took the risk and I paid
the penalty. Those who have been in a like position,
and after a day and a half's unremitting and unrewarded
labor, with a ducking in ice- water, ruin of fly-book, etc.,

Fiahrhoohs. 81

thrown in, alone know with what feelings I returned to
camp. It was the last day of that open season, too.

I have seen an angler of wide experience, though
new to large trout, white to the lips as he told how a
few moments before he had lost a large fish after ten
minutes' play — a trout, which his experienced guide
assured me he had seen plainly, and to which he as-
signed a weight of not less than six pounds.

I see I have diverged from what I intended to say,
and interpolated a narrative which may seem to some
out of place. But if it will serve to impress upon the
beginner how greatly the pang which follows the loss of
a large fish, exceeds the trouble and expense of provid-
ing first-class tackle at the outset, its practical utility
will, it is hoped, justify the digression. With every
appliance of the best, such losses will still occasionally
occur even to the most skilful, but this will then happen
but seldom, nor is the disappointment imbittered by
self-reproach. Good-luck comes to all at times, and he
is the most successful, in angling as in life, who pre-
pares beforehand to take full advantage of his opportu-
nities.

From 1884 to 1886 or 1887 I tied all the flies I used
on the Pennell hook of the form shown on page 18.
Not that my first love, the Sproat, lost favor in my
sight, but because I had trouble in obtaining it deep
enough on the barb side to meet my idea, because I
liked the straight shank on which to build up the fly,
and because it proved an excellent hook.

Then Mr. Pennell brought out his turn-down eyed
hook figured on the following page, known in the trade
as the 'Moop-eyed" hook. Those unfamiliar with
this form of hook should note how its shank-end is

82 Fly-rods and Fby-tdclde.

doubled back against the shank itself after the loop-eye
is formed.
This hook I have used ever since — not so much on
account of its conformation,
though excellent, as because of
its turn-down eye. The addition
of this form of eye to hooks
adapted to fly-making is, in my
judgment, the greatest improve-
ment in fish-hooks within my
recollection. Rather than forego
the many advantages this eye
affords, I should prefer almost
any form of hook that had it to
the best that had it not.

Let us consider the matter for
a moment.
Such a fly is to be attached to the free end of the
leaderby passing that end through the eye and tying it
around the shank of the hook close to the eye.. It is
obvious that the leader will then pull as though it were
a direct continuation of the shank of the hook. The
fly will, in consequence, draw perfectly straight through
the water, and the impulse to fasten the hook will be
applied in the most efficient and advantageous manner.

Then notice the nice flat surface it affords upon which
to tie the wing, and how much more securely it may be
permanently fastened in place than when tied upon the
cylindrical shank of the old-style hook. Rough hand-
ling, even combined with poor workmanship, will hardly
twist out of place a wing so seated.

Again, we are inconvenienced by no gut-strand or loop
while tying the fly ; nor, thereafter, by care lest the gut

Fish-hooks, as

should be accidentally cracked while dry or become
impaired by age. Until destroyed by moth or by the
iisb it has taken, when it has paid for its cost and keep
and is entitled to a place on the retired list, every fly in
one's outfit is practically immortal.

Then how much more compactly one's stock of flies
may be kept, how much more convenient to arrange, to
select from, to play with as every angler loves to do in
the close season.

Who that has used flies with an integral gut strand
has not lost the one virtue with which even the scoffer
credits the angler — patience — when he has sought to
take one fly from his hook and has pulled out perhaps
half a dozen ; or, at a critical moment, has not found
the gut of the desired fly dry and crooked, and been
compelled to lose time and fancied opportunity while
he straightened it ?

True, some of these inconveniences are obviated when
a gut loop is substituted for the gut strand. But then
the integrity of the gut loop becomes open to suspicion
before long ; while every time such a fly has been used,
and is removed from the cast to give place to another,
the loop must be carefully reformed to its original
shape and position while still wet and soft, or it will dry
with a twist and the fly will not swim true when next
used.

I am at a loss to understand why the eyed form of
fly-hook, now so long on the market, is not in almost
universal, instead of exceptional, use in this country. I
am informed on the very best authority that almost
every skilled fly-flsherman in England employs noth-
ing else, whether it be for the very smallest midge or
the largest salmon-fly. We, as a people, are gener-

34 Fly-rods and Fly-tcuMe.

ally credited with recognizing a good thing when we
see it.

The reason usually assigned is that it is too hard to
knot the leader to the eye — an exemplification, perhaps,
of the rule that the unknown is the portentous. It cer-
tainly takes no more time than to join the loop on the
end of a leader to that on the fly-gut, while the fly is
saved the rough-and-tumble experience of being dragged
through the loop — a very rough-and-tumble experience
in some hands. Think, too, how clean and fair the
leader runs to the tail-fly, with nothing to attract atten-
tion except the indispensable and inconspicuous knots
which unite the strands, as imperceptible as possible.
No two loops, meshed together a few inches above the
fly, imprison a glittering film of air shining almost like
a mirror.

But let us assume, contrary to the fact, that the knot
is quite beyond the capability of the average angler.
Even then, why is not the eyed hook entitled to prefer-
ence ? The fly can be tied without the gut to the con-
venience of the fly-maker, and a looped gut strand be
knotted to the eye by him at any time before delivery
to the consumer, who then has just what he has been
accustomed to use. When he begins to mistrust the
gut strand for any reason, instead of buying a new
stock of flies, he simply sends his suspects to the maker
to replace the old gut with new. Ignoring the obvious
resulting economy, this course would go far to remove
the cause of much perturbation of the angling mind over
the disposition of accumulations of old materials which
it dares not use, yet which seem too good to destroy.

But, in point of fact, the knot is really of the easiest
to learn and practise — far easier than to tie a shoe.

FiahrJuyoks. 85

Since it is almost identical with the knot described in
the chapters on leaders, for fastening the line to the
leader, it seems better for reader and writer 'Ho make
but one bite of the cherry,'^ and to do it there.

Heretofore we have spoken of the eyed hook as
though used but in the tail-fly. It is, however, obvious
that if the leader be provided with projecting strands
of gut at the proper intervals, eyed flies may be as read-
ily tied to the free ends of these strands as to the end
of the leader, and that the eyed hooks are equally avail-
able for drop-flies.

It should be distinctly understood that the preceding
remarks apply only to eyed hooks in which the eye is
bent at an angle with the shank of the hook, either up
or down — down is the better — so that the gut will draw
on a true line with the shank of the hook. Those
hooks, familiar to the bait-fisher from time immemorial,
in which the shank terminates in a ring in the plane of
the shank, are not available for fly-fishing, since, among
other reasons, the gut will not draw in true line with
the shank and the fly will not swim straight.

When one speaks to another it is generally more sat-
isfactory if the hearer knows what the speaker is talk-
ing about. Therefore, since different manufacturers do
not always use the same number to indicate the same
size of hook, the author desires that the size shown as
corresponding with the number given in the following
scale be understood whenever a hook is mentioned by
number in this book.

Though the hooks are figured on the following page
of actual size, it may be remarked that in the cut they
appear somewhat larger to the eye.

d6 Fl^/roda and Fly4ackU.

A word to those who tie their own flies. Of late
years the best makers of hooks not infrequently rely
upon a bronze lacquer instead of the old black japan to
protect them from rust. I doubt whether any of these
bronze lacquers are as perfect a protective as the old
japan. But, however that may be, it is quite certain
that many of them are simply a delusion in this respect.

The contemplation of a nice stock of flies, the product
of one's own scanty leisure, some of them ruined with
iron-rust stain after but a single use, and the certainty
that the others are doomed to the same fate, is enough
to drive any one but a philosopher to drink.

All bronzed hooks should be tested by fastening three
or four from the lot to a board with a staple made from
a pin bent in the shape of the letter U, and exposing

FishrhooJc8. 37

them to the weather night and day for four or five days.
The hooks should lie flat on the hoard so that the at-
mospheric moisture may he the longer retained in con-
tact with the lacquer, as will he the case where the
hook touches the hoard. If, at the end of that time
in ordinary, mixed wet and dry weather, no or very
slight signs of rust appear, the hooks may he used with-
out fear.

If, however, signs of rust do appear, then the follow-
ing is a remedy. Get from an apothecary some alco-
holic tincture of Tolu-gum. Put the hooks in a saucer
and pour a very little of the tincture upon them. Then
stir them up briskly for a minute or two with a hair-
pin, so that any excess of tincture on one hook, or part
of a hook, will rub off onto the others, and a uniform
coating be given to all. I say a very little tincture is
to be used, and a very little is meant. Half a tea-
spoonful is quite enough for a hundred No. 4 hooks,
whereas for the same number of 8, 10, or 12 hooks, half
as much or less will suffice. Then take out the hooks
one by one with a pair of tweezers, or, better, a bent pin
if you have the patience, and hang them on a stretched
wire till the tincture is not only dry but hard — say
twenty -four hours in good drying weather. When
dry, examine each hook to see whether the eye or
barb is clogged, and clean out such as require it with a
pin.

The bronzed hook came upon the market in notice-
able quantity a little after the eyed fly-hook. The eyes
were then all made very small, even on large hooks, as
shown in the following cut. The "loop-eyed" hook,
figured on page 32, in which the wire is lapped back
against the shank of the hook after forming the eye.

88 Fly-rods and Fly4aokle,

was a later, and, in my judgment, a decided improve-
ment. It may be had in all sizes larger than and in-
cluding No. 8. I have not seen or heard of it in smaller
sizes, perhaps because it has been found to make the
small hooks too clumsy.

The change from the black japan to the bronze was
apparently a consequence of the addition of the eye,
which the black japan was apt to clog in its application.
Since the eye was only applied to hooks of the first
quality, and since these were usually bronzed, the

bronzing came to be considered by consumers an indi-
cation of quality. Competition is so keen nowadays
that to cater to every general whim of the consumer
class IS a condition of pecuniary success in manufactur-
ing. So bronzing began to be substituted for japanning
in hooks of the ordinary form — ^by no means an im-
provement in my judgment. Still, until four or five
years ago, bronzing was really strong presumptive evi-
dence of good quality in a fish-hook. But in the natural

Fishrhook». 39

course of hnman events this could not last, since makers
of cheap goods are just as anxious to sell them as the
makers of the best ; and now bronzed hooks of all
grades of excellence are on the market.

Some fancy that the bronzed hook is less visible to the
fish, and, therefore, better than the black- japanned hook.
Experiment leads me to think this a mistake. I have ex-
amined the two side by side through strata of water from
one to five feet in thickness, lighted from above as in
nature, viewing the hooks from below at various angles,
and could see no material difference in this respect.

To test this, two hooks were chosen, one bronzed and
the other black japanned, of the same size. Large
sizes — ^No. 4 — were taken, since the existing difference,
if any, would be the more apparent. As the question
was under consideration with relation to fly-fishing,
each hook bore a fly of the same size and composition,
of the variety known to salmon fishermen as the " Black
Fairy " — tail golden pheasant topping, yellow tag, black
mohair body ribbed with oval silver, black hackle, and
brown mallard wing in which one-half of the wing is
tied on one side and the other half on the other side of
the hook, so that the wing closely covers the upper half
of the body like a peaked-roof shed quite convex on the
ridge-pole line.

How often do actual experiment and the unexpected
go hand in hand together ! Even though the unex-
pected be not found, still, to borrow the language of the
old nursery rhyme, more often than not "the subject
suggestively turns to matters not thought of before."
So it was in this case. That the difference in the visi-
bility of the two hooks was so slight as to be immate-
rial, was expected and readily determined.

40 Fly-rods wad Fly-tackle.

But the appearance of the flies themselves was a sur*
prise of the first magnitude. I had often wondered, in
the half-conscious way to which the angles is prone
when rod in hand, why this fly was such a killer. I be-
lieve I found out then. Held in the hand, it is really
quaker-like in the sobriety of its color scheme. Any-
thing more quiet and unobtrusive would be difficult to
design. But in the water it was "a horse of another
color." As to general appearance, it was then decidedly
impressionistic, as, indeed, if I may rely on the hundreds
of experiments I have tried, is the case with all artificial
flies, except when viewed at very short range and with
a strong sunlight from directly behind the observer.
No definite outline or detail of construction was notice-
able. Something in motion was there, but just what
it was I think would puzzle any one to say, not already
informed, when viewed through three or four feet of
water.

At the initial glance at any object, or number of ob-
jects, our attention involuntarily first fixes itself on the
most conspicuous feature ; for example, the highest
light of a picture, the most striking colored dress if the
object viewed be a throng of people. Until we have
mentally disposed of this feature, all others produce an
impression so indefinite as hardly to be worthy the name.
Half the stock in trade of the ordinary sleight-of-hand
performer is this involuntary action of the human mind.
He suddenly throws his wand with violence upon the
floor. Though nine-tenths of those present may really
know just why it is done, the attention of all, influenced
by sight and sound, is involuntarily diverted to the point
where the wand strikes, and the performer in the in-
stant does the crucial part of his trick unobserved.

Fishrhooks. 41

From the nature of the case it appears so extremely
probable that with all created things which rely upon
eyesight to guide their conduct the eye must act in sub-
stantially the same way, that it would seem far more
rational to accept it as a fact than to question it in the
absence of cogent proof to the contrary.

Few artificial flies even approximately duplicate any
living insect. In most of them, when on or in the water
and viewed from beneath its surface, the wing, or the
hackle, or some other part is more conspicuous than the
rest of the fly. The fly enters the range of vision of the
fish without previous warning, as a surprise. Time for
critical inspection and analysis of detail is not allowed.
The more conspicuous portion arrests their attention,
the less conspicuous parts are overlooked. They get at
first but a general impression, which they confound with
the nearest similar familiar impression, and on this they
act. The discrepancies, which close approach might
make sufficiently obvious, are overlooked in the ardor of
pursuit. And so, if the first impression excites the ap-
petite, and nothing gives rise to suspicion or alarm, the
fly is taken.

This, it seems to me, or something very like this, must
be why it is possible to lure trout with the artificial fly.
It may be a mere theory, or call it a mere hypothesin
not rising to the dignity of a theory in certitude, still it
has this in common with many generally accepted theo-
ries, that it is consistent with and explains the observed
facts.

Returning, now, to the Black-Fairy fly. Through
three or four feet of ordinary clear water, lighted from
above by strong daylight but not direct sunshine, the
body, while it could be seen, was very inconspicuous,

42 Fhf-roda and Fh/'tacJde.

The whole fly was very indefinite in outline. The con-
spicuous feature and the surprise was the appearance of
the brown mallard wing. This feature, so sedate and
sombre in the air, had a softly luminous silvery lustre
of the most seductive character when under water. So
wholly unexpected was this appearance that it was at
first attributed to reflection from air immeshed among
the fibres of the feather. It seemed altogether too good
to be true. So, holding the flies under water, the water
was rubbed into the wings until they were, completely
saturated, and all air that might originally have been
there was necessarily expelled. No change in appear-
ance resulted, the wing still glowing as before with
much the effect of polished silver seen through fine
ground-glass. The shape of the wing, closely embrac-
ing the upper half of the body and extending beyond it
towards the end of the tail, had the form of the upper
half of a fish, and I felt sure that were I a fish I should
have taken the fly for the sweetest and tenderest of
minnows.

These experiments required an assistant, the observer
standing below, while the assistant manipulated the flies
from an upper story quite out of sight and hearing. My
assistant on this occasion was an angler of great skill
and experience, very prompt to perceive the relation
between cause and effect. I told him nothing of what
I had seen, nor why I rejoined him after my first obser-
vation and wetted the wings of the flies with such care.
When I had finished, I asked him to go down and
look at the flies while I manipulated them, and tell me
what he saw, giving no intimation of what I had seen.
He returned to me quite as surprised and delighted as I
was.

Fishnhooks. 43

His observations and his deductions therefrom du-
plicated mine ; and we agreed that the brown mallard
feather — that brown mottled feather which grows near
the butt of the wing on each side of the drake mallard,
grayish at the root, shading into dark brown at the
end — was one of the most valuable to the fly-fisher-
man ; that it should be tied so that the wing was not
upstanding in the usual manner, but so as closely to
embrace and extend beyond the upper half of the body
of the fly, as has been described ; and that either in
still water, or on a deep pool in a trout brook where the
larger fish would naturally abide, it must prove most
seductive.

It may not be amiss to say that this wing cannot be
made from a single fealher. One strip must be taken
from a feather from the right side, and another strip
be taken from a feather from the left side of the mal-
lard ; and the two strips must be so laid together that
the inner, the less-colored, faces of the strips are in con-
tact. The matched pair will then show a curve like a
scimitar, and the concave edge is to go next the body
of the fly. It should be tied on large hooks ; for the
large fish of Maine and Canada, on Nos. 2 and 4 ; for
those localities where small flies are habitually used,
on Nos. 8 and 10.

4A Fly-rods and Fly-tacJde.

CHAPTER IL

HOW FISH-HOOKS ARB MADS.

The belief that an accouDt of how fish-hooks are made
will interest some of my readers, has induced me after
some hesitation to include the following description.

Though special machines are now largely used, still
the old hand process is at the foundation of all. A
statement of this, therefore, will be at once more profit-
able and easily understood.

Round steel wire in coil is mounted on a reel ; the
outer end is thrust through a hole until it encounters a
stop, and can go no farther ; then down comes a cutter,
and cuts off a length. As long as the cutter and stop
work at a fixed distance from each other, so long, of
course, will the wire be cut in uniform lengths (see Fig.
8). It will also be clear that by varying the position of
the stop in reference to the cutter, the length of the pro-
duced piece can be varied.

During the time occupied in reading the preceding
paragraph, you may imagine several lengths have been
cut.

Next in order comes the formation of the barb. A
length of wire, cut as aforesaid, is laid upon a small
block of iron provided with a stop, against which the
end of the wire abuts. The workman is armed with a
tool such as is shown in the illustration (Fig. 9), in which
a represents a wooden handle \ b an iron rod or shank ;

How Fish-hooks are Made.

and c the cutter. If about two inches were broken from
the catting end of an ordinary carpenter's chisel, and if
the sides were then ground so that the broken end was

I !

II tf

Fiir.8.

Fig. 9.

Fig. 10.

Fig. 11.

Fig. 12.

somewhat narrower than the cutting edge, the form of
this barb-cutter would be produced. It will be remem-
bered that the cutting edge of a carpenter's chisel is
bevelled only on one side. Such is the case with the
cutter under consideration, and its edge is applied with
the bevel uppermost — i,e.y away from the wire. The
form of this cutter is shown in Fig. 10. The workman
having laid a length of wire upon the iron bed with his
left hand, and brought its end against the abutment,
seizes the tool (Fig. 9) by its handle a in his right hand,
hooks the other end d behind a pin conveniently placed

46 Fly-rods and Fly-tacTde,

for the purpose, which serves him as a fulcram, applies
the edge of the cutter to the wire at a marked distance
from the abutment, and pushes the handle and cutter
from him. The cutting edge, being formed with only
one bevel and that uppermost, tends to bury in the wire,
while the shape of the bevel throws up the shaving
and determines the *' rankness " of the barb. Operation
succeeds operation with surprising rapidity. The result
is shown in Fig. 11.

This is the method employed in making large hookrs.
In producing the barb of small ones such as we use, sl
knife resembling a common table-knife is employed, bev-
elled and applied, however, in much the same manner.

The wire is now annealed — that is, heated to low red-
ness, and allowed to cool very slowly, thus rendering it _
quite soft. The annealed pieces are then laid one by-
one on a small anvil, and under a single blow of a ham-
mer each rapidly assumes the form shown in Fig. 12.
They are then one by one placed upon a cutting edge,
and a blow from a drop-hammer raised by foot-power
produces the result shown in Fig. 13 — a representing a
cut either quite or almost through the metal, detaching
the piece h. Then two or three strokes of a hand-file
complete the point, as shown in Fig. 14. The hook is
now to receive the bend. In Fig. 16-4 represents a
block of hard wood ; J5 a rib of metal projecting above
the surface of the wood ; C is a pin projecting in a like
manner; D is the wire about to be bent into a hook.
When the wire is applied as shown at D in Fig. 15, it
is bent around the former {B) by a single sweep of the
hand, and the hook is complete in form. It will be ob-
served that the contour of the former (J5) determines
the shape of the hook.

Hoxo Fish-hooka wre Made.

Fits. 18.

Fig. 14.

Fig. 16.

>f ow the hook, which to this point is as soft as it can
well be made, must be hardened. Heavy sheet -iron
dishes are filled with soft hooks, thrust into an oven, and
brought to a cherry-red heat ; and when the contents
are at that temperature, they are " dumped " into a large
vessel of oil. The hooks, when withdrawn from the oil,
are as hard and brittle as glass, and they must, before
they will be fit for use, be drawn to a spring temper.
An iron frying-pan is partially filled with sand, placed
over a hole in an oven, the sand heated to a proper tem-
perature, the hooks introduced and stirred round in it,
until the requisite temper is reached. The hooks are
then removed and cooled off, and this step is complete.
Thus it will be seen how intimate is the connection be-
tween the frying-pan and the hook, throughout its career.

48 Fly-rods and Fly-taclde.

These last two steps are the crises in the life of the
hook which determine its future. For if in the hardening
process any are heated to excess, the steel is ^^ burned "
as it is termed, and such will always remain brittle and
worthless ; while if any are insufficiently heated, they
will not harden, but continue soft and equally useless.
To heat this irregular and tangled mass of hooks uni-
formly through to its centre, from heat applied to the
outside, requires no little skill. And in the tempering
process the same difficulty is encountered, for if it is
arrested too soon, the hooks remain still brittle ; if it is
carried too far, their elasticity is gone, and they will
straighten under the struggles of the fish to escape.

The tempered hooks are then rolled in a revolving
barrel, " tumbled " as it is termed, to remove, by the at-
trition of one against the other, the surface scale formed
during the hardening process, and they are then ready
to lacker.

Thid is accomplished by seizing the hooks by the bend,
dipping the shank about half its length in the lacker,
withdrawing them and throwing them into a large bowl.
With two forks, one held in each hand, the contents of
the bowl is well stirred together, until at length the im-
mersed parts have parted with a portion of their lacker
to the uncovered parts, and the whole of each hook is
covered with a uniform coating. The workman then
wets his fingers with the lacker, removes the hooks one
by one, hangs them by the bend on iron racks, and places
them in an oven to dry. Such is the process of making .
fish-hooks, in its simplest and usual form. Is it not won-
derful they can be sold so cheaply ?

One step remains, or should remain, to be taken ; and
it is the only part of this long description that will, aside

How Fishrlwoks are Made,

from the gratification of a very laudable curiosity, be of
any advantage to you who have so patiently followed it
to its end. But if you tie your own flies, or even if you
do noty this will requite you for your labor and patience.
I allude to a test to be applied to each hook, so that the
bad may be infallibly separated from the good.

Two pins, a a, are inserted in a block, B (see Fig. 16).
The hook is placed between them as shown, and the
shank end bent outward with the
hand (see dotted line) until it
strikes a pin, by placed near the
position shown. If the hook bre^iks,
of course that ends it. If it fails to
return to its original form when re-
leased, it is too soft to be reliable,
and should at once be rejected.

Were it not for the iron bands of
literary custom, I would print at the
head of each page of this book, in-
stead of its title, the words — ^bemem-

BBB TO TEST TOUB TACKLE. They

embody the angler's Golden Rule.
A few years since I went fishing down in Pennsylva-
nia^ a hundred miles by rail and some twenty odd by
stage. The trout of that State have quite kept up with
the progress of the age, and the angler who expects
much pleasure at their expense, will need to employ all
the resources of his art. A box of beautiful little hooks
was purchased for the occasion, and a quantity of beguil-
ing flies tied thereon. What was the matter I could not
tell. Rise after rise was followed by miss after miss at
the strike, till a bump of conceit, which at first was quite
protuberant, gradually fell to the dead level of medioc-

Fig-ie.

50 Fh/'Toda and Fly tackle,

rity, till at last its former locality was marked by a de-
pression you could put your fist into. Nothing but fin-
gerlings (to basket which, under any circumstances, is of
course against the first canon of your and my angling
belief) had rewarded my efforts, so I sat me down to
seek consolation in a quiet pipe, and study the situation.
Those hooks were like lead in softness.

I learned my lesson then. Learn yours now I You
will find it far cheaper and more satisfactory. For
whether is it better to prove each part of your outfit at
home, when the loss of a worthless article readily re-
placed is the worst that can result ; or to involye the
good in a common fate with the bad, and lose all, your
temper included, in a common ruin.

It is a good rule to try no experiments in the crisb of
battle.

Lmes. 51

CHAPTER in.

LINB8.

FoBMBBLY lines for fly-fishing were made of hair, and
were twisted. These were superseded by a mixture of
hair and silk, the latter added to increase the strength,
and tone down the excessive roughness which charac-
terized the line made of hair alone. Again the twisted
line was found liable to kink, and braiding the strands
was sujbstituted for twisting, to overcome this. But at
the present day the only line used in this country for
this purpose, is one braided from silk alone.

Both " raw " and " boiled " silk are used, the raw silk
being the silk as spun by the worm, and with the gum,
exuded in that process to unite the filaments into the
form of a cocoon, still adhering to it; and boiled silk
being, as its name implies, the former boiled to dissolve
and eliminate this gum.

Italian, Chinese, and Japanese silk are all used for
line making. Italian silk, when raw, comes in hankn
resembling in form and size the common woollen yarn
of country stores. It is of a most beautiful golden
color, resembling in the sunlight the hair of the giddi-
est of blondes. It feels somewhat harsh to the touch —
very much like linen thread — and lines made from it par-
take of this characteristic. Chinese silk differs from the
Italian in appearance in the hank, being white in color,
a little coarser and harsher to the feel, and somewhat

52 Fly-rods and Fly-tackle,

stronger. That generally known as " grass line " is an
example, it being wholly of Chinese raw silk, no grass
whatever entering into its composition.

The Japanese silk is considerably weaker, and in com-
parison with the others has little to recommend it ex-
cept cheapness.

When boiled the raw silk parts with its gum, losing
about thirty per cent, in weight, and deepening in color.
The surface is no longer harsh, but of a smooth and slip-
pery character, and the silk becomes very flexible.

Italian silk is worth, raw, about five dollars a pound ;
boiled, from about seven and a half to eight dollars.
Chinese silk is worth, raw, about four dollars ; boiled,
about six and a half to seven dollars a pound. Japan-
ese silk costs, raw, about three dollars and ninety cents;
boiled, about four dollars and eighty cents a pound.

Some silk comes to this country from India, the prod-
uct of wild worms not mulberry fed. It resembles
the inside of an old Manila rope in color, is worth about
two dollars a pound, i*aw, and is much weaker than the
other silks already mentioned.

Since the gum is removed by the boiling process, thus
reducing the size of the fibre without impairing its
tenacity, it follows that more material is required for
the same diameter, and that the boiled-silk line possesses
a far greater degree of strength than a like size line of
raw silk. Silk lines are also made from what might be
termed "shoddy," a material formed by reducing old
scraps of silk — cast-off silk dresses, stockings, umbrella
covers, and such trash — to a fluff by machines constructed
for that purpose, and spinning the thread composing the
line from that. As the length of the fibre in the latter
does not exceed a fraction of one inch at the outside,

Lme9, 58

while in the silk direct from the cocoon it may be hun-
dreds of yards, the relative value of the two products
may be readily gauged, without entering into the ques-
tion of how much the material composing the "shoddy"
has suffered before entering the machine.

Again, lines are sometimes made of mixed silk and
jute, in which case the latter is a pure adulteration, since
it adds practically nothing to the strength. Such lines,
however, as are sold by reputable dealers are made
wholly from the best Italian or Chinese silk. The
thread is spun direct from the cocoon. Three threads
are then loosely twisted together, and thus each strand
of the braided line is formed. These lines, for their
diameter, are of surprising strength, and they alone are
suited to our purpose. But in their natural condition
unnecessary disadvantages attend their use. Though
superior to the ordinary linen line in this respect, still if
it is desired that they should retain their strength, they
must be taken from the reel and carefully dried after use.

Aside from this, the inferior strength of the raw-silk
line, and the greater friction caused by its rougher sur-
face in its passage through the rings, would give the
preference to that of boiled silk. But that also has seri-
ous disadvantages. One trial, particularly if the experi-
menter be wading, will graduate him as far as this is
concerned. They are so very soft and pliable, that on the
slightest provocation they take a turn around the outer
end of the tip ; the line is then locked for the time be-
ing, and will render neither way. After having waded
to the shore four or five times to find a support for the
butt, so that the end of the tip and the entanglement
may be reached, an effort will probably be made to vary
the monotony of this proceeding, by placing the butt

54 Fly-Tod8 a/nd Fly-tacJde.

on Bome neighboring stone protruding above the water.
And if this is followed, as it is apt to be^ by the butt
and reel slipping off into the water at the very crisis of
the disentanglement, to the great peril if not disaster to
your tip, you will then have opportunity to exercise a
wise discrimination as to which of the two annoyances
you will elect to suffer in the future. If to this is added
the probability that you first discover the mischance
after a cautious approach to some extra promising pool,
and when you wish to lengthen your line, so as to lay
your flies just where you feel sure the aldermen of the
brook are assembled together ; or worse still, after you
have fastened to one of those aldermen, or possibly the
chairman of the board, and find that you can neither
give nor take line, you will then agree with me that
such a line is more demoralizing to the angler than the
fish.

There is also another important point to be consid-
ered, not generally known by anglers. The same boiled-
silk not-waterproofed line, when wet, is not nearly as
strong as when dry. Experiments conducted at my re-
quest with the best appliances and by an expert, pieces
from the same line being used for all, gave as an aver-
age of several trials, strength, dry, 19 lbs., 14 oz.; wet,
14 lbs., 13 oz. Indeed, silk-thread manufacturers well
know that the same thread is much stronger dry than
when wet. A gentleman in whom I have every confi-
dence informs me that the result of some experiments
he made in this direction gave him as an average, dry
strength, 23 pounds ; wet strength, 14 to 15 pounds ;
waterproofed in best manner, strength, 18 pounds,
pieces from the same line being of course used. These
last-mentioned experiments indicate that though water-

Lines. 56

proofing weakens the line somewhat, it does not weak-
en it nearly as much as wetting ; while thereafter. the
strength remains constant, natural wear and tear ex-
cepted, whether the line be wet or dry.

The choice then lies between two varieties of water-
proofed line: one being that made from raw silk and
treated with linseed oil, and known as an '^ oiled " line ;
the other that from boiled silk, and waterproofed by a
secret process, and known as " enamelled waterproofed
line." The best quality of the former may be had at ,an
expense of from three and a half to four cents a yard ;
but while the cheaper of the two, its lesser strength, its
rough surface, and its inferior durability, make it in
effect the dearer.

Few, familiar with the subject, will question that the
general average of the American enamelled water-
proofed lines of to-day is inferior to the average of, say,
fifteen years ago. Then a marked difference in appear-
ance and price distinguished the good from the bad.
Now lines of all grades, good, bad, and indifferent, are
for sale, all made to resemble the best grade in appear-
ance as closely as possible.

Economy of production is of the first consideration
in modern manufacture* One, hoping to increase his
trade at the expense of the others, cuts his price. The
others first meet his cut to hold their trade, and then
study to cheapen the cost of production so as far as pos-
sible to retain their former percentage of profit. A
cheaper silk and a more speedy process of waterproof-
ing naturally suggest themselves, and an inferior prod-
uct is the result.

An enamelled waterproofed line in some respects re-
sembles a well-painted board. It is very difficult to

56 FVy-Tods wad Fly-tacJde.

discover the real character of the board without first
ruining the paint. By employing the same waterproof-
ing process two lines may be made, one of the best and
the other of very inferior material, which will so closely
resemble one another that no purchaser can tell them
apart except as the superiority of the one over the other
becomes evident by use. While both may be quite
strong enough when bought, it is obvious that the bet-
ter line has a much wider margin for deterioration be-
fore the safety limit is reached, and, consequently, that
it will outlast and is really cheaper than the other.

For example, some cheap enamelled waterproofed lines
were obtained and submitted to the chief expert of a
large silk-mill for analysis and report. They looked as
good as the best. When procured I could not break
them with my bare hands. But when the waterproof-
ing composition was dissolved away and the textile
residue crucially examined, they were found to be made
up of a thin silk covering braided over a cotton core.

The basis of all these waterproofing mixtures is what
the organic chemistries call a "drying oil" — usually
linseed-oil. Other things are mixed with the oil ; what,
each maker keeps as secret as he can. One might as
well ask a man what he said and did when he proposed
to his wife and expect a full, true, and explicit answer,
as to ask a line maker how he made his waterproofing
mixture and expect to learn anything definite from him.
The drying of these oils is an oxidation process, and the
products of this oxidation are extremely acrid. No
common vegetable fibre, perhaps no vegetable fibre,
will endure their action without ruinous deterioration.

The oxidation of linseed-oil is carried on on a large
scale in the manufacture of linoleum. Cotton-cloth

Lines. 57

sheets are stretched perpendicnlarly and flooded once a
day for several days with the oil, under free access of
air. Thus each dose of oil is oxidized, until a sheet of
tough amber-colored jelly results, an inch or more in
thickness and the size of the cloth. Durmg this process
the air of the room in which it is conducted ia so acrid
as to be almost as intolerable as the vapor of ammonia,
while, when the jelly is removed, the cotton cloth is
found rotted practically out of existence. Therefore,
in waterproofing a line composed of a cotton core cov-
ered Avith a silk envelope, it would seem to be a case of
" Hobson's choice." Either the cotton core will be so
rotted as to destroy its strength, or the waterproofing
must be superficial only. This latter is very easily
done. The trouble lies in quite the other direction,
since to make the mixture permeate the line to its very
centre is a recognized difiiculty and an admitted essen-
tial in the manufacture of first-class lines of this kind.
The maker of the cotton-centred line, therefore, has
but the choice of either marketing his line with its cen-
tre already rotten, or in a condition speedily to become
so with use. Naturally he chooses the latter, and a
line is the result which looks well, seems strong, can be
sold cheap, and is really dear at almost any price.

Contrast this trash with a first-class line. In the
spring of 1899 I obtained samples of the best quality
of enamelled waterproofed line of the best makers.
Analysis showed they were all made of the best silk ;
whether Chinese or Italian was not certain, since it was
found to be impossible, without more time and trouble
than was thought warranted, to so thoroughly eliminate
the waterproofing as positively to determine this ; but
the indications pointed strongly to Chinese silk. These

58 Flyrods and Fly-tackle.

lines were all of the size indicated by the letter E,
though they actually differed somewhat in diameter, as
is usual with the lines of different makers. The water-
proofing compound seemed to permeate the lines to
their very centre. When doubled so that the parts
were in contact, then twisted together, and then rolled
between the thumb and forefinger with all possible press-
ure, they showed no disintegration of the waterproofing
compound when the line was again straightened. They
broke respectively at 30j pounds, 2*7^ pounds, and 28
pounds. An English line, brown in color, of the same
nominal size, and of best Chinese silk and very well
waterproofed, but which had been used two seasons,
broke at 20^ pounds. All were excellent lines, the
difference in strength being due more to difference
in thickness than to the quality. They retailed at
eight cents a yard level and ten cents a yard when ta-
pered at both ends, and would outwear half a dozen
or more cotton-centred lines at three and a half cents.

In my first edition I said : " If Phariseeism is ever par-
donable, it is when a good enamelled waterproofed line of
American manuf actu re i s compared with th ebest produced
in any other country." This is certainly no longer true.
I have seen and used English lines during the last three
or four years of most satisfactory excellence. They seem
to taper their lines better than we do, in that the taper
is longer and more nicely graduated. These lines were
said to be waterproofed in a vacuum. That is, substan-
tially, the line was placed under a receiver, the air ex-
hausted, and then the waterproofing compound intro-
duced while the vacuum was still maintained. I have
heard this process ridiculed by dealers in this country,
but it would seem without just reason. It is of the first

Lines. 59

importance to durability that the waterproofing mixture
should thoroughly permeate the line to and through its
very centre. Otherwise, upon the first break in the
waterproof shell, due to snag or rock or other cause, the
water will penetrate to and fill the centre by capillarity,
and the line speedily rots. It is clear that a boiled-silk
braided line before treatment must have more or less
air imprisoned within its meshes. It is equally clear
that such a line cannot be thoroughly permeated with
any liquid until after this air is thoroughly displaced.
With fluids so viscid as are all these waterproofing mix-
tures, it would seem as if the desired result could be ob-
tained with far more ease and certainty by the aid of
the air-pump, than by any merely mechanical squeezing
process. It is very diflScult to determine by inspection
whether the waterproofing has really filled the centre
of a line. Of course, the extreme ends are filled, since
they are directly exposed to the liquid, so nothing can
be learned from them. On the other hand, if the ends
are cut off, the edge of the cutting tool crushes and
welds the waterproofing compound together, making it
appear as though the line were filled to its centre, when
really such may not be the case. A process which, by
the operation of a law of nature, automatically insures
the desired result, as it would seem the air-pump process
must, would appear to be advantageous.

While, of course, I may be all wrong, still it is to this
method of application, in combination with celluloid so-
lution as a waterproofing compound, that I look for the
line of the future. Celluloid can be given any desired
degree of toughness and flexibility by the addition of
castor-oil to its solution, and if the cotton from which
the celluloid is made is well washed and neutralized

60 Fly-rods and Fly-tackle.

after nitration, there is nothing in its solution which
should impair the strength of any fibre, animal or vege-
table. It is, moreover, thoroughly waterproof. Arti-
ficial leathers are now made by surfacing Canton (cot-
ton) flannel with celluloid toughened with castor-oil,
which are strong, durable, and flexible, and so water-
proofed that one may empty an ink-stand upon the fin-
ished surface, wash it off at leisure, and no mark of its
baptism will remain. It seems to me as if no angler
could examine these artificial leathers, try their strength,
their toughness, their pliability, and their indifference to
creasing and water, without sighing for a line so pre-
pared. The probable advantages — ^no loss of strength,
any fibre, absolute indifference to water and kinking,
and less than a day for every week now required in
preparation — would seem to warrant quite persistent
trial of this compound on the part of line-makers. It
should be added, however, that my own experiments
were not successful — ^the line was not well filled. But
the circumstances were very unfavorable. I could nei-
ther conduct the matter myself, nor see it done ; but
was obliged to content myself with verbal instructions
through an intermediary to a person who had never seen
a waterproofed enamelled line, except, perhaps, in a casual
way. Success under such circumstances was hardly to
be expected.

Celluloid varnishes, which, when thinned with ^ proper
solvent, should answer the purpose, may be had in the
market, or the varnish may be made by dissolving scrap
celluloid. Amyl-acetate would be the best solvent were
it not for its strong banana-like odor, which soon be-
comes disagreeable to all and produces headache in
many. Acetone is, therefore, to be preferred. This

Lines, 61

solvent may readily be procured from or through any
apothecary. It is produced on a commercial scale by
the dry distillation of acetate of lime. It resembles al-
cohol in appearance, is highly volatile and inflammable,
has a slight empyreumatic odor, is neither acid nor al-
kaline, and is one of the best solvents for resins, fats,
camphor, and gun-cotton, of which two latter bodies cel-
luloid is a product. Besides its ordinary use as a sol-
vent, it is employed in the arts for the manufacture of
chloroform, and as a solvent for gun-cotton and nitro-
glycerine in the production of smokeless powders. It
is as safe as alcohol if the same precautions are taken
in its use.

The procedure may be substantially as follows:
Gradually add translucent scrap celluloid, such as is
used in photographic films, to a pint or more of acetone
until the resulting solution is of the desired consistency.
Then try a drop or two to see whether it dries transpa-
rent and firm, or white and friable. If the first, it is all
right ; if the last, it is all wrong.

The same test should be applied if bought celluloid
varnish is to be used. A small sample should be thinned
with acetone to the desired degree, and then a drop or
two should be tried in the same way. In either case if
the varnish dries white it is due to water in the acetone.
Like alcohol, all acetone contains water unless special
means have been taken to eliminate it. From a solu-
tion of celluloid in acetone, the highly volatile acetone
first evaporates, leaving the water, until the remaining
solvent contains so large a proportion of water as to be
no longer a solvent and the celluloid separates.

Assuming that the varnish dries white, then add pe-
troleum benzine of low boiling point, such as is used to

62 Fly-rods wad Fly-tdclde,

clean clothes, to the amount of about a fourth part of
the acetone, and shake well. Then allow the mixture
to stand and settle. The water will then go to the
bottom, and the clear varnish is to be drawn from the
top, to be again tested as to whether it will dry clear
and firm. If it does not, add a little more benzine and
try again.

A clear drying varnish having been thus obtained,
then, and not until then, add about two-thirds of the
weight of the dry celluloid taken, of castor-oil, shake
well, and give it time to thoroughly mix so as to obtain
a uniform product. Then try it on a piece of line. If
not tough enough when perfectly dry, which will be in
a few hours, add a little more oil. If too soft, add an
ounce or two of celluloid solution, and so on until the
mixture gives the desired result. If bought celluloid
varnish is used, estimate the dry celluloid it contains at
about ten per cent.

Acetone, which is to be used merely as a diluent, may
be treated with benzine by itself to eliminate the water
it may contain, in which case use twenty-five per cent,
of benzine, shake repeatedly, and give plenty of time
for the water to precipitate.

It is to be understood that the foregoing directions
are not based upon personal experiment in waterproof-
ing fishing-lines with celluloid, but upon the practice in
the art of making artificial leathers by coating cotton
fiannel with celluloid. They are intended, therefore,
merely as a guide to experiment, and not as a hard and
fast recipe. The coating of those leathers, as nearly as
repeated examination and testing allows me to judge,
seems to be just the sort of impregnation an enamelled
waterproofed line should have, while the mixture has

Lines. 68

no tendency to rot the fibre as do the waterproofing
mixtures now in use. But in these experiments, as in
all experiments of the kind, measured quantities should
be used and a written record kept, so that an achieved
success may be readily repeated.

Nothing in reference to fly-fishing can be answered
with such ease and confidence as the question what line
should be used. Unquestionably the enamelled water-
proofed line, and no other. If not decrepit through
old age — ^and their longevity is far in excess of any other
line — in strength they leave nothing to be desired.
Smooth as ivory on the surface, they render through
the rings with the minimum of friction. Their weight
is sufficient to cast nicely without being excessive, and
at the same time is always uniform ; while their flexi-
bility is just as it should be, neither so great as to foul
the tip, nor so stiff as to cause inconvenience. In short,
they are as nearly perfect as the work of man's hands
is permitted to be.

The illustration on the following page shows the most
available of the various sizes manufactured, and the
numbers or letters by which they are known to the trade.

Aside from the difference in diameter, two styles of
these lines are to be had : ^^ tapered," in which the last
twenty feet or less is gradually diminished in thick-
ness by dropping out a strand at proper intervals ; and
•* level," in which that dimension is uniform throughout.

Which shall I use, "tapered" or "level"? The an-
Bwer to this question is not so simple as it may look. A
good working method in such cases is to analyze the
problem, setting down not what we can have, but what
we would like to have. If we find that our wishes are
inconsistent and that we cannot have each desired feat-

Fly-roda and FlytacJde.

ure in its entirety, then we must consider what conces^
sion each conflicting element shall make to the others
in order to effect the best practical compromise.

Pll?. IT.

In a fly-fishing line the following would seem to be
the desiderata :

First. We should like invisibility, so that the fish
may not see the line and detect our false pretence. The
line should be thin to the vanishing degree.

Second. We should like such strength that, even af-
ter the deterioration incident to protracted use, a suffi-
cient reserve will remain not only to handle the largest
fish to be hoped for, but also to clear the line without
breaking from any not too obdurate bush or snag.

Lines, 65

Third. We must have weight, not only to bring out the
action of the rod, but also so that the line will hold its
own, at least to some extent, against the wind, and we
not be paralyzed by every trifling adverse summer
zephyr. The momentum of the line in act of casting is
measured by its weight multiplied by its velocity. It is
obvious, therefore, that no conceivable impetus will an-
swer the purpose unless the line has weight; also, that the
more weight it has, provided the rod can readily handle
it, the more independent of circumstances we shall be.

These considerations would seem to point to a thin
yet heavy line, weight being assumed to imply increase
of material and, therefore, strength; that is, a thin line
and a thick line. But since one and the same thing
cannot at the same time be both thick and thin at one
and the same point, the only way out of the difficulty
would seem to be to make the line thick where thick-
ness would do the least harm, and thin where thinness
woul^ do the most good. Thickness except at the
ends, and thinness only at the ends — in other words, a
tapered line — would therefore seem, theoretically at
least, to be the proper thing.

Theory and practice I believe to be in accord in this
matter. Still many very expert fly-fishermen, perhaps
a majority of them, habitually use only a level line.
All admit that the tapered line casts the neater fly ;
also that its end where fastened to the leader can with-
out injury be thinner, and consequently less conspicu-
ous, than in a level line. Both lines must have sufficient
thickness to give the requisite weight. But while the
level line must carry this thickness to its end, the
tapered line can be thinned down as far as is consistent
with the desired strength.

66 FJ/y-roda and Fly4acJde.

One objection to the tapered line is that it costs more
— short taper of four or five feet, eight cents a yard ;
long taper of eighteen or twenty feet, ten cents ; level,
six and a half cents.

Again, no person of experience casts a longer line
than the necessities of the case require. The eighty
feet casts of the tournament have little or no place in
practical fishing; and when casting, the line is kept
out of the water as much as possible, so that only a few
feet of its outer end is constantly wetted. As these
lines are practically never taken from the reel to dry,
after a greater or less lapse of time the strength of that
portion becomes impaired. The expert angler never
thinks of inaugurating a new season without carefully
testing the strength of this part of his last year's line,
breaking it off at the slightest suspicion of weakness, a
foot or two at a time, until sound material is reached.
Now in the tapered not only does this decay, because of
the smaller diameter, reach the danger point much
sooner than in the level line, but it extends farther up
the line ; and if any part must be sacrificed, it is the
tapered portion which must go. The result is that the
tapered line, after a couple of seasons, becomes a " level "
line, and of a thickness greater than the angler would
prefer. Therefore it seems advisable, if economy be
any object, to buy a level line of the very best quality,
and at least forty yards — better fifty — of it. Such a
line will last for years. About twenty-five yards is the
minimum length that a trout fly-line should be, so this
gives a good reserve to meet either accident or decay;
and it will be long before you are encumbered with that
mass of trash which is the angler's bane — ^flies, leaders,
and lines, which you dare not use, are ashamed to give

Lines, Vt

away, but still seem too good to throw in the fire where
they properly belong.

There is great temptation to economy in the purchase
of lines. Plenty that look equally well can be had at
half price. But you know the consequences of yielding
to temptation, and believe me, this will not prove the
exception which makes the rule. A little cold common-
sense will teach that, in this benighted age and country,
no man sells an article in the regular way of trade for
two or three cents a yard, the market value of which is
seven or eight. But if economy is not an object, then
a tapered line is to be preferred, in my judgment. But
it should be tapered at both ends, so that when one
taper is gone the line can be turned end for end and the
other taper used, thus giving the line double life.

Again, there is the short taper of five or six feet or
less, and the long taper of eighteen or twenty or more
feet. For one who rarely casts over forty feet, the
short taper is, at the start, quite as good, if not better,
than the long. But one long tapered line will outlast
two or more short tapered — that is, the long tapered
line can afford to lose twelve or thirteen feet of the
taper quite as well as the short tapered line can afford
to lose three or four feet.

The question of size remains to be discussed. The
controlling factor which governs the answer is the flexi-
bility of the rod. To obtain the best results, the line
must fit the rod as a coat fits a well-dressed man's back.
Unless the flexibility of the rod be first known, it is as
impossible to say what sized line is best suited to it as
to say what sized coat will fit a man without knowing
whether he is tall or short, fat or thin.

The line must have weight enough to bring out the

68 Fly-rods and Fly4achle.

spring of the rod, since it is this spring rather than the
muscular effort upon which we rely to project the fly.
The difference is that of throwing an apple, for exam-
ple, by hand, and casting it from the end of a flexible
stick. On the other hand, the rod must not be over-
weighted, since then control of both the back and for-
ward casts is in measure lost and they become uncertain,
particularly if the caster is hampered by a wind. It is
no pleasant surprise to be struck in the face by one's
own flies on the back cast, for even if the point of the
hook be escaped the impact will remind one of the sting
of a bean from a bean-shooter.

Another thing must be taken into consideration. The
load upon a rod varies, of course, with the length of
line cast. Therefore, for any given rod, the best size of
line is a matter of compromise. Taking all these things
into consideration, if we say that the line best fits a rod
with which one can cast thirty-five or forty feet most
easily, we shall have a very fair working rule.

Nothing makes more difference in the pleasure of
fly-fishing than this adjustment of line to rod. When
in harmony they work together as though themselves
almost instinct with life. The flies flit backward and
forward with hardly a conscious effort on the part of
the angler, though wholly obedient to his will. Like
turning a corner on a bicycle, it seems to go itself as
and where desired. On the other hand, few spectacles
in fly-fishing are more pitiable to see than one — ^usually
a beginner who should have every encouragement — en-
deavoring to cast a light line with a stiff rod. The less
he accomplishes the more he exerts himself, and the
more he exerts himself the less he accomplishes. It
looks BO easy for others, yet seems so impossible for him.

Lines. 69

What should be a pleasure is a sickening disappoint-
ment. He is trying to accomplish the almost impossi'
ble — ^a task no expert would attempt.

Remember the integrity of your tackle should al-
ways be absolutely above suspicion. Buy your line oT
a house with a reputation to maintain, and ask for the
best and pay the price, and you will get it. Be sure if
a seeming bargain is offered you in iishing-tackle, you
will eventually find it dear at any price. For trout-
fishing F is the best size if the line is " level," but E if
"tapered.''

For actual fly-fishing these seem to me the sizes best
adapted to the average American fly-rod of to-day ; still
there is at present unquestionably a tendency among
experts towards heavier grades. The enormous distances
covered at the recent casting tournaments naturally ex-
cite the emulation of those who witness or read of them,
and they as naturally turn to that style of line which is
best for that purpose. It is undoubtedly an accomplish-
ment to be able repeatedly to cast to the distance of
eighty feet, and retrieve the line without fastening a fly
in your ear ; since he who can do this can cover the ex-
treme limit of practical fly-fishing with the utmost ease,
and can therefore devote all his attention to delicacy
and accuracy. But whether the use on a single-handed
fly-rod — unless it be very short and stiff — of lines so
heavy as C or even D is really an advance in the art,
seems to me very questionable. Does it not entail a
sacrifice on the part of all, except perhaps the most skil-
ful, of those important requisites, delicacy and accuracy
' (construing the latter term to include not only reaching
the desired point, but doing so with a perfectly straight
line) ; and this to attain a command of distance seldom

70 Fly-rods and Fly-tackle.

or never of use except for .show? One thing, how-
ever, seems certain. If one must err in this respect,
it is far better to have the line too heavy than too
light.

But if the rod is stiff as fly-rods go, which is my own
personal preference, then a long-tapered D line is un-
questionably the thing. Of late years, ray Ashing has
been mainly from boat or canoe, in open water, exposed
to every wind that blows ; where, in order to get the
sun right, so thiat it should not cast a moving shadow
of my rod over the water to be fished, I was often com-
pelled to take the wind wrong. A heavy line, and a rod
with the power to handle it, is indispensable to pleasur-
able angling under such conditions.

In 1884 I tried a D long-tapered line for some weeks
of constant daily fishing, expressly to test the compara-
tive merits of the heavier lines then coming into use.
The conclusions then formed for my own guidance, and
since confirmed during many outings from north of An-
ticosti Island on the St. Lawrence to Sitka in Alaska,
were as follows : On a flexible rod the D line seemed at
all times a positive disadvantage. Upon a ten-foot stiff
split-bamboo, against the wind, it worked well, since hav-
ing more momentum it naturally held its way better.
In casting over about forty -five feet it really worked
like a chaim, the line seeming to go backward and for-
ward, as if it were alive and acting of its own volition,
rather than from the apparently insignificant impulse
given to the rod. This began to be felt at the distance
named, and increased rapidly as more line was used. In-
deed so pleasurable was it that I was forced continually
to check myself, lest I should fall into the altogether
too common error of ignoring good water close at hand,

Lmes. 71

to cast in less promising places at a greater distance.
But — ever that dreadful btU — decided and increasing
disadvantages became apparent as the length of the cast
was reduced below that distance. I like to see the fly
shoot out straight, pause a short distance above the sur-
face of the water, and then fall upon it by its own grav-
ity alone. The momentum of the heavy line was such
that it required the very nicest adjustment of the im-
pulse to the distance to be covered, lest the line reach
its full length before its inertia was overcome, and thus,
suddenly checked, recoil and fall sinuously upon the
water; and this difficulty rapidly increased as the line
was shortened. Now I am inclined to believe that five
and a half times the length of the rod approximates
pretty closely to the limit of efficient casting in actual
fly-fishing, while we all know that over nine-tenths of
all the fish are taken within say forty feet of the angler.
Therefore, if it be wise to adapt your tools to your ev-
ery-day work, rather than to that which you will do
only on your birthday, it would seem that the beginner
would do well to use no line heavier than a " level E,"
unless his rod be quite stiff.

For the benefit of those who like to make their own
tackle, and are ambitious to waterproof a line, the fol-
lowing recipes are given:

First buy a boiled-silk braided line of the proper diam-
eter, and of the very best quality if you would not have
it rot in the process.

73 Fly-rods and Fly-tacJde.

TO 0IL-DBB88 LINES.

Heat two ounces of linseed -oil until it will singe a
feather dipped in it. Melt in and mix thoroughly with
it a piece of camphor the size of a hazel-nut. Stir in an
equal proportion of good oil -copal varnish. Soak the
line in the mixture while the latter is warm, until thor-
oughly saturated. Then draw the line through the fold
of a doubled leather, held in the hand and firmly com-
pressed upon it, to squeeze out all the dressing you can.
Stretch in a garret, or similar place, to dry. This will
take some days according to weather. When dry, warm
your mixture and soak again. Squeeze as before. When
this is dry, rub on the third coat with a rag, and wipe
the line well afterwards. When this coat is thoroughly
dry, rub well with a paraffine candle from one end to
the other, then polish by rubbing briskly with a woollen
rag. It will take at least a month to so prepare a line,
for no second coat must be applied until its predecessor
is thoroughly dry.
Norris recommends, quoting from Chitty:
" To a quarter of a pint of double-boiled, cold-drawn
linseed -oil add one ounce of gold-size. Gently warm
and mix them well, being first careful to have the line
quite dry. When this mixture is warm, soak it therein
until it is saturated to its very centre — say for twenty-
four hours. Then pass it through a piece of flannel,
pressing it sufficiently to take off the superficial coat,
which enables that which is in the interior to dry well,
and in time to get stiff. The line must then be hung up
in the air, wind, or sun, out of the reach of moisture for
about a fortnight, till pretty well dry. It must then be
redipped to give an outer coat, for which less soaking is

Lines, 78

necessary. After this, wipe it again but lightly; wind it
on a chair-back or towel-horse before a hot fire; let it
remain for two or three hours, which will cause the mixt-
ure on it *to flow' (as japanners term it), and give an
even gloss to the whole. It must then be left to dry as
before: the length of time, as it depends on the weather
and place, observation must determine upon."

Personally, the writer has succeeded fairly well with
two-thirds boiled linseed-oil and one-third best coach-
body varnish mixed together, and warmed till it will
singe a feather. To four ounces measure of this mixt-
ure about half a teaspoonful of siccative coutrai (to be
had at any dealer in artists' materials) may be added,
to hasten the drying if you are of an impatient disposi-
tion. Otherwise, leave it out, since all dryers impair
the result. Soak twice and rub once, having the mixt-
ure then warmed to a temperature not exceeding 100°
Fahr. Finish and polish with paraffine candle as be-
fore.

Boiled-silk braided line only is adapted to these proc-
esses. Remember the mixture must in none of them be
so warm, when applied to the line, as to be uncomfortable
to the touch, otherwise your line will be " rotten " and
your experiment a failure. The only object in heating
the mixture is that it is thus rendered more fluid, and in
this condition is more readily absorbed by the line; but
it is an essential step, since otherwise the preparation
may not permeate throughout the line, and if it fails to
do this at the first soaking, it never will afterwards.
On the second application the warmth softens to some
extent the preceding dose, and the two amalgamate bet-
ter, so to speak. Wind is the potent element in drying
mixtures of this kind. Therefore, if possible, expose

74 Fly-rods mid Fly tackle.

your line to its influence, since it will then dry more in
one day than in three if kept in-doors.

But the preparation of a line by any of these proc-
esses, is a nasty, tedious, and ill-smelling job. It is far
better to pay seven or eight cents a yard for a good en-
amelled waterproofed line to some good house. You
may feel pretty confident you will wish you had done
so before you get through preparing one yourself.

Select a line not too long in stock.

Before buying, double the line close to the end, twist
the loop together hard, and roll it between the thumb
and finger with all convenient pressure. Then untwist
and straighten the loop, and see whether the water-
proofing has disintegrated. This will be indicated by
the line becoming whitish where so treated, and shows
that the waterproofing compound is too hard and brit-
tle. The line will be in the form of a coil. See that the
coils stick together very little, if at all, since this indi-
cates that the composition is too soft, that it will speedi-
ly wear off in running through the rings of the rod, and
that the line will soon rot. All this, however, is to some
extent a question of temperature. I have yet to see a
waterproofing compound upon a line which is just right
at a freezing temperature and also at 95° Fahr. Cellu-
loid may do it, but I doubt its possibility with any com-
pound having a drying-oil for its base. A little common-
sense is therefore in order, and a line which it is judged
will be all right in these respects, at a temperature from
55 to V5° Fahr., should be considered satisfactory. Then
try the strength of the exposed end of the line, and if it
breaks easily have nothing to do with it. Ask the deal-
er's consent to this, which if he refuses try elsewhere.
For the best makers or their employes sometimes make

Lines. 75

mistakes, and rot the line in the process of preparation.
This will at once be detected on proving it in this way.
This precaution shonld never be neglected, lest you
"sound the depths of dark despair," as did the writer,
who, on one occasion, was caught as follows in the wilds
of Maine, with a brand-new tapered forty-yard line then
used for the first time, and bought from a most reputa-
ble dealer. For months the trip had been anticipated
and prepared for. You know, or if not, may you soon
know, the April fever of the trout fisherman — that rest-
less longing for the green woods and silvery stream
which precedes the opening season — M'hen no matter
how happily he may be circumstanced, something essen-
tial seems wanting. If it has a parallel, it is only in the
sensations of the confirmed smoker, who, in a moment
of weakness and repletion, has " sworn off."

The legion, who, without other cause, have committed
this folly, and who remember with what longing they
looked towards the appointed time, and the halting march
of the carefully counted days, unrelieved by the assur-
ance of the considerate friend "that the watched pot
never boils " — those who remember this, and how " free-
dom shrieked " when once again the way to the tobac-
conist was open — such only, outside the brotherhood of
anglers, can appreciate the thrill with which my maiden
cast was at last delivered.

Two fine trout rose at once to the flies, leaping clear
of the water in their eager rivalry, their red and golden
sides flashing like jewels in the morning sun. A quick
strike, and — the line comes back, but where are the flies
and the trout?

He who sits down on an imaginary chair; he who
would raise his hat to salute his would-be sweetheart,

76 Fly-rods and Fly4acJde.

and is forced instead to follow its gyrations through the
mud and filth of a city street ; he who eagerly reaches
before him in the darkness for an open door, and finds
it with his nose — these have experienced the pangs of
blasted hope, and can sympathize. Paralysis followed
the blow ; and when at length the world rolled on once
more in its appointed orbit, I began the old familiar
process of endeavoring to convince myself that the re-
sult of my own stupidity was an arrow of fate. The
fault of the leader it could not be, for it had been tested
not an hour previously. The shortening line comes
slowly in, watched with anxious eyes. But where is
the leader — alas ! careering round in the depths of the
Moose Brook, a bond of union between two most un-
happy trout.

Then, I fear, not all the Commandments were remem-
bered.

The angler who, under such misfortune, can preserve
his equanimity, must possess a degree of philosophy in-
deed phenomenal. My philosophy is quite dilute, so I
went for John. John — good, kind, honest John — ^patient,
conscientious, of untiring energy ; courteous and consid-
erate alike in sunshine and storm, in time of plenty or
famine ; the prince of guides, whose skill at the trap, the
paddle, the rifle, and the rod are unequalled; who forgets
more overnight of the ways of the wilderness than I shall
ever know. A most aggravating fellow is that John.
We have been together for years, and many are the dif-
ferences of opinion which have arisen. The worst of
him is that he is invariably in the right, and that
I am always forced in consequence to eat "humble
pie.'*

"John, you must have let that knot upset when

Idnes. 77

you bent that leader to the line. You see it's entirely
gone.'*

'^ I think not, sir," oame the quiet answer.

''Well, how else could such a disgusting thing happen ?
Tou know the leader was tested not an hour ago. It was
wet then, and was fastened to the line immediately after-
wards, so the loop could not have been cracked or weak,
and the break must have been there."

" Perhaps something may be wrong about the line."

''Nonsense; the line is brand-new — never through the
rings before. Take off that other leader from your hat
and put it on the line ; give me a Montreal stretcher
and a brown hackle for a dropper. There — let me look
at that knot. Yes, that's all right; I don't believe they
will get away with that in a hurry. Perhaps we may
sicken some of them yet." For your true fisherman al-
ways regards the fish who carries away his tackle as the
Englishman looks on the restlessness of his uncivilized
subjects — as a monstrous ingratitude, to be atoned for
by the offender if catchable ; if not, by his kindred.

Human nature is not altogether confined to the British
Isles; a small surplus still remains for the use of the
American angling fraternity. We generally see things
through our own eyes, even though we do wear specta-
cles.

Cast follows cast — a rise — a strike — and back comes
the line once more, but no leader follows it.

When feeling is too deep for utterance, one is general-
ly silent. The line is reeled in and examined. The knot
was certainly all right; the fault could not be in the
leader. The line alone remains ; and though it is folly
to try it since it is perfectly new, still to silence John
once for all, let us test it. Throughout its whole length

78 Fly-roda cmd Fly-tackle.

of forty yards, not a place could be found that could not
be broken between the thumbs and fingers. Though
the sky was cloudless, the sun shone no more for me
that day. The wise profit by the mbfortunes of their
fellows.

Leaders.

CHAPTER IV.

LEADERS.

This essential to the angler's outfit is composed of the
silk fluid secreted by the Chinese variety of the silk-worm.
When the worms cease feeding, and a filament of silk is
observed hanging from the mouth, they are then about
to begin to spin their cocoons, within which to await
and undergo their transformation into the perfect insect.
On observing this indication, such worms as are to be
devoted to this purpose are immersed in vinegar for
some hours. When sufficiently pickled they are re-
moved, seized by the head and tail, and forcibly torn

F!g. 18.— Anatomy of the SQk-worra i A A^ih^ Silk Sacks, B B, the Intestlnea.
(From the " Bncyclopedla Britannica.")

apart. Within are found the intestines, which then re-
semble boiled spinach, and two silk sacks. The latter
are nearly or quite twice the length of the worm, and
lie doubled together within it. The diameter of the

80 Fly^ods cmd Fly-tacTde,

middle of these may be aboat one-sixteenth of an inch,
thence gradually tapering to a point at both ends. The
preserved specimens, the only ones I have seen, were
translucent, and yellowish in color.

Seizing this silk sack by the ends, the operator tears
it apart, stretching the contents oat to the desired length.
These harden almost at once on exposure to the air, and
the gut thus produced is stretched upon a piece of board
to dry.

This manufacture is carried on mainly in Spain, by
the peasantry at their own homes, one producing per-
haps half a pound, another possibly fifty, according to
the extent of the mulberry orchard the maker may pos-
sess. With the remains of the envelope still adhering to
the dried gut, it is brought in, and sold to the factors.

Their first step is to free the gut from such portions
of the ruptured envelope as may adhere to it. Former-
ly this was done by drawing the gut between the teeth,
and thus stripping off this refuse, but chemical processes
are said now largely to have superseded this. The eye-
witness, to whom I am indebted for this information, de-
scribes the old method as a most disgusting spectacle.
The rows of women and girls drawing the entrails of
this caterpillar through their teeth, their mouths smeared
with blood from the cuts inflicted by the thin gut, min-
gled with the offal scraped from it by their teeth — spit-
ting and drawing, and spitting again — ^must indeed be
far from a pleasant sight.

I would much rather go a-fishing.

The gut is then sorted, bundled, and marketed. We
derive our supply largely through England, whence this
business is controlled, consuming by far the greater part
of the heavier sizes produced.

Leaders. 81

The best single article known to me on this subject is
that by Mr. Charles F. Imbric, in the "Annual Cyclo-
paedia," Appleton's, volume xiv., 1889, page 762.

Mr. Imbrie assures me that this article is based on
personal investigation on the spot. I quote an abstract
from him, as follows :

" The province of Murcia, Spain, has always enjoyed
a practical monopoly of the manufacture of silk-worm
gut. Though the industry is small, it has long attract-
ed the attention of silk-culturists all over the world.
Gut is still made in Sicily ; but the quality of the Sicil-
ian product is invariably poor, and as it can, therefore,
compete only with the very lowest grades of the Span-
ish article, it is hardly possible that there can ever be a
profit to the manufacturers. Silk-culturists in China,
Japan, France, Italy, and the United States have done
their best to produce a marketable quality of silk-worm
gut; but they have never succeeded, unless the fortui-
tous manufacture of a few strands of a fair quality can
be considered success. In the United States, China, and
Japan, a long, heavy gut has frequently been made ; but
in no instance has the strand had the tensile power of
much lighter Spanish gut. The numerous and invari-
able failures to produce a good quality of it outside of
Murcia force the conclusion that there are unique con-
ditions favorable to its manufacture there, and insur-
mountable objections to manufacture elsewhere."

* i|B * 4b 4b * *

" When the worms are quite ready to spin, not an
hour before or after, they are thrown into a tub half
filled with a strong mixture of vinegar and water. This
kills them instantly. They are left in this pickle about
twelve hours — generally over one night. This gives a

83 Fly^ods and Fly-tdckU.

consistency to the silk-bags, of which there are two in
each worm. The next morning the worms are taken out
of pickle and broken in two, cross-wise. The gut-sacs
are, with a little experience, easily removed. Each of the
sacs is taken at either end, while it is soft, and stretched
as far as it will go. If the pickle is strong, the gut is to
a certain extent shorter and thicker ; if it is weak, the
gut is longer and thinner. If it is too strong, the gut
pulls out crooked and lumpy and cracked ; if it is too
weak, the gut has not enough consistency to draw out.
When the gut is stretched out as far as it will go, it is
thrown on the floor, and the extreme ends almost im-
mediately curl up. The gut is covered with a thin fila-
ment called came^ or flesh. Towards the end of the day
the gut is washed in pure water and hung up where a
current of air will pass through and dry it. When it is
thoroughly dry the strands are tied in bundles of from
5000 to 10,000, and in this state it is sold by weight to
those who prepare it for the market."

Mr. Imbrie expresses astonishment at the little atten-
tion given to the eggs while hatching, and at the lack
of what silk-growers elsewhere would consider ordinary
care in the subsequent development of the worm. Be-
yond "not sweeping the room where the worms are
without first sprinkling the floor to lay the dust, seeing
that the leaves are fresh and are never allowed to fer-
ment, not using the same baskets to bring in fresh
leaves as those that are used to carry out the old leaves,"
little seems to be done except to secure good ventilation,
avoid excessive changes of temperature, and for the first
fourteen days cutting the mulberry leaves upon which
the worms are fed into small pieces with a sharp, and
not a dull knife, since a dull knife bruises the cut edges of

Leaders. 88

the leaves, making them tough and distasteful. The cut-
up leaves are scattered over the worms which crawl up
on to them, following in this their natural instinct to
ascend.

They are given all the food they will eat. Up to
the time they are ready to spin, about forty-two days,
their life is divided up into several periods of extreme
voracity, alternating with torpor, during which latter
period they molt and refuse to feed at all.

The producers are all small farmers, each working up
independently the product of his own domain, some
turning out a better and some a poorer article according
to individual care and skill. Every year buyers come
from the silk-manufacturing centres of France to buy
cocoons. The gut-buyers appear at the same time, one
urging the farmers to market their crop in the shape of
cocoons, the other in the form of gut ; and the one who
succeeds best in persuading the producer that his inter-
est lies in dealing with him gets the crop.

Gut is named in the trade according to thickness, as
follows, beginning with the thinnest : Refina, Fina,
Regular, Padrona Second, Padrona First, Marana, Dou-
ble Thick Marana, Imperial, and Hebra. Flat, irregular
gut is known as Estriada. Since the purchaser from the
original producer buys by weight, paying the same price
for the good, the bad, and the indifferent, it is no easy
matter to pre-estimate the prospective profit or loss on
his purchase. The larger sizes afford a large profit,
while the inferior qualities will not pay cost ; so, after
the manner of merchants in all trades but that, if any,
to which my reader belongs, it is not uncommon to work
off the Estriadas, etc., by smuggling a few such strands
into each bundle of good gut.

84 Fly-rods and' Fly-tacJde.

But it would seem there are silk-worms native to this
country, from which gut far superior in every way to
that of the Chinese worm not only can be, but actually
has been, made.

At least three of these greatly exceed the Chinese
worm in size, and in the quantity of silk they secrete.
That they have not attracted the attention of silk manu-
facturers to a greater extent, is probably due to the dif-
ficulty experienced in reeling the silk from the cocoons,
an objection which, however serious it may be to him
who would substitute these to feed machinery adapted
to work the cocoons of the Chinese worm, is of no
weight to one who seeks to utilize the silk sacks of the
insect prior to its spinning — as would be done in gut-
manufacture.

For many reasons, that worm known to the entomol-
ogist as the Attacus cecropia is most worthy of our at-
tention. It produces the largest quantity of silk of any,
and that of great strength. Its habitat is co-extensive
with the United States. It is indifferent to the vicissi-
tudes of our climate, and will flourish anywhere in the
open air. It is an omnivorous feeder — " as easy to raise
to maturity as young ducks or chickens " — and finally
from it gut has been drawn '^ eight and nine feet long,
and strong enough to hold a salmon " — '' quite round, and
all an angler could desire."

I am largely indebted for my information in regard
to this worm to Dr. Theodatus Garlick, of Bedford, Ohio,
justly celebrated as the father offish-culture in this coun-
try, and to Dr. E. Sterling, of the city of Cleveland in
the same State.

The former gentleman, from a bed of sickness and
pain, in his eightieth year, responded with alacrity to

Leaders. 86

my inquiries as to his experience in producing gut from
this worm — at the expense of how much suffering he
only knows. It is but another example of his well-
known public spirit, and a further illustration, if any
were needed, that the love which an angler bears towards
his favorite pursuit fails only with life itself. We try
in vain to convey to the uninitiated a conception of its
charm to us ; but can the most sceptical refuse to con-
cede that there must be something in a matter that can
excite and maintain such unimpaired enthusiasm, even
when face to face with the Great Unknown?
Dr. Garlick writes as follows:

" Bkdpord, Ohio, My 17, 1884.
''Henry P. Wells, Ilsq.:

" Deab Sir, — Your letter finds me very sick, and I at-
tempt a reply lying in bed, so please excuse pencil.

" We have here four native silk-worms — the Attacus
cecropiay Attacus prometheiiSy Attacus luna, and the Atta-
cus polyphemus.

"The Attacus cecropia spins by far the largest cocoon,
and is the one I used in drawing the long silk gut from.
The worms (larvae) feed on the leaves of several kinds
of trees and shrubs. In swamps is found a shrub known
as the * Button - ball bush ' ( CephalaTUhifS occidentalis).
Among these shrubs I have found the cocoons of the
A. cecropia in great abundance. I gather the cocoons
in the fall or winter, male and female, the cocoon con-
taining the female chrysalis being much the larger. I
keep the cocoons in a cool place until spring, when such
trees as the apple and plum are in leaf, on the leaves of
which the young worms will feed. The plum being the
best for them.

"About this time the moths leave the cocoons and

86 Fly-Tods and Fly-tacMe.

mate. After they have mated I place the females in
large paper boxes, in which they lay their eggs, which
soon hatch. I feed the young larvae on tender leaves of
the plum-tree, if I have the plum, but the apple or pear
will answer. After they grow to about an inch long I
place them in the plum or apple trees, and let them take
their chance for life against the birds — of course I keep
a sharp watch of their progress. When the worm be-
gins to spin his cocoon is the right time to draw the silk
gut. This is done by pinning the worm on a board and
cutting the body of the worm off, far enough back from
the head to cut a little off the two silk sacks that con-
tain the fluid silk, which in consistency looks like the
white of a hen's egg. Into this fluid silk I dip a largish
pin, drawing it more or less slowly until the silk is ex-
hausted in the sacks ; then with another pin I fasten the
last end of the gut to the board.

"The fluid silk hardens immediately as it comes in
contact with the air. The size of the gut will depend
entirely on the rapidity with which the gut is drawn —
the faster it is drawn the smaller will be the gut.

" I have drawn this gut eight or nine feet long, and
strong enough to hold a salmon. There is no more dif-
ficulty in drawing this gut from the Attacus cecropia,
than from the ordinary si Ik- worm {Bombyx mori). The
Attacus prometheus feeds on the leaves of the sassafras
and spice-bush, and makes a beautiful silk.

" Very respectfully, T. Garlick.''

" Bkdiord, Ohio, July 28, 1884.
''Henry P, WeOsy Esq. :

"Dear Sir, — Your favor of the 19th is read, and as
usual finds me a great sufferer. You are at liberty to

Leaders. 87

use any portion or the whole of my letters on the sub-
ject of drawing silk gut from our native silk-worms. I
do nothing to the worm previous to drawing the gut,
except to pin it to a long board in order to prevent it
from squirming — pin it at both ends. I cannot tell you
exactly at what spot or point to cut the worm, in order
to cut the silk sacks at the best point, and would ad-
vise you make a careful dissection (a vivisection) of the
worm, in order to find the best point to cut the silk
sacks, which should not be where the sacks are the
largest, but sufficiently large to allow a sufficient flow
of the fluid silk to mstke the gut of the right size. Of
course it requires a much longer time for as large a fibre
as gut to harden and become silk, than the fine fibre, as
spun by the worm, which is instantaneous. If you will
examine the floss silk between the outer and inner shell
of the cocoon of the Attacus cecropia, you will find that
fibre a strong silk — ^provided the cocoon is not an old
weather-beaten one. I should think you might find on
Long Island both the Attacus prometheus and the At-
tacus cecropia — the former on the spice -bush or sas-
safras ; the latter on the button - ball bush, so called,
which grows in swampy places. The silk of the Prome-
theus is of the finest and strongest quality, but not near
as large as the cocoons of the Attacus cecropia. If the
silk of the Attacus cecropia is strong, why should not
the gut be strong?

"Last year there were a few Cecropias that fed and
spun on my pear-trees. I wish now that I had drawn
some gut from them, which I would have cheerfully sent
to you, but I wanted the moths to put up with other in-
sects, and let them spin their cocoons on my pear-trees.
If I find any this year I will, if alive and well enough,

88 Fly-Toda cmd Fly-tacJde.

try and draw some gut, but fear I shall not be able, even
if alive and I find the worms, to draw the gut — for I am
now well into my eightieth year, and expect and hope to
leave soon. With kind wishes,

" I am very truly yours,

"T. Garlick."*

In other communications Dr. Garlick states : '' I vent-
ure the assertion that the fibre of the Attacus cecropia
is as strong as that of the B. mori (common silk-worm)
by actual test. I have drawn gut from both of these
silk-worms, and encountered no diflSculty with either.
Dr. Sterling, of Cleveland, saw the gut I drew from the
A. cecropia. I never place the worm in vinegar prior
to drawing the gut ; I should as soon think of placing
it in concentrated sulphuric acid. I follow nature as near
as possible, and draw the gut from the living worm."

Dr. Sterling confirms this, if confirmation of any state-
ment made by Dr. Garlick be not superfluous. He
writes me, "the gut so drawn from the Cecropia was
quite round, and all an angler could desire." He fur-
ther says that the cocoons can be obtained in any quan-
tity in the thickets of the water sycamore which line the
swamps and lagoons of Northern Ohio, and that he has
gathered half a bushel in half an hour.

The ordinary silk -worm (B. mori) is large if three
inches long and three-eighths of an inch in diameter;
while Dr. Sterling says, "I have seen it (the Cecropia)
over four inches long, and as thick as a working-man's
thumb." When it is remembered that this bulk is main-

* Dr. Garlick died December 9tli, 1884, universally respected and re-
gretted, and leaving behind bim that most enviable of records — his
country is the better for his having lived.

Leaders. 39

ly dae to the silk secreted within the worm, and the
strength of that silk being universally admitted, its great
superiority to the B. mori for our purpose seems to be
beyond question. In " On Insects Injurious to Vegeta-
tion," by F. W. Harris (Orange Judd Publishing Co.,
New York, 1863), he says, "as a worm for quantity and
durability of silk the Cecropia has so far no equal."

The worm is apple-green in color, darker below and
lighter on the back. Its skin is smooth, except for six
longitudinal ranks of fleshy tubercles, two on each side
and two on the back. Those on the sides are smaller,
cylindrical, and blue in color. On the back the tubercles
are larger and yellow, except those on the three segments
nearest the head. The latter are larger still, red in color,
with small black spots, and shaped like a cabbage head
— that is, as though fleshy excrescences, about the size
and shape of a No. 1 shot, were joined to the body by a
fleshy neck. A single tubercle similar in size and form,
and yellow in color, is attached to the middle of the
back near the tail. It is the only tubercle on the median
line of the back.

The foregoing, it is hoped, will answer for purposes of
identification, but those desiring further information can
find colored illustrations of both worm and moth (as
well as of those hereinafter mentioned, with one excep-
tion) in vol. xxxii. of the NcUurcUisfs Library (Henry
G. Bohn, publisher, York Street, Covent Garden, London).
The references will be found on page 132, and the pages
following. The Cecropian worm is therein called the
" Hyalophora cecropia." A description can also be found
in " On Insects Injurious to Vegetation," heretofore al-
luded to, and in "The Lepidoptera of North America"
{Smithsonian Institutiouy 1862).

90 Fly-Tods and FVy-tackU.

The Attacus prometheus (described aud figared on
p. 134, vol. xzxii. of the Naturcdisfs Library) is another
native worm adapted to our purpose, and next in point of
size to the Cecropia. In range it is as extensive as the
Cecropia. It is not quite so omnivorous in its appetite,
feeding on the sassafras {Lauras sassafras), the spice-bush
(X. hemoin), and the swamp button-ball bush (C^halan-
thus ocddefUalis), It is green in color, with yellow feet;
*'each segment of the body, except the posterior, is
marked with six blue spots, from which arise small black
tubercles ; in the second and third segments, however,
the two centre tubercles are replaced by club-like pro-
jections of a third of an inch in length, and of a bright
coral red color. The last segment is furnished with but
five tubercles, the central one of which is of the same
clavate form as the anterior segments, but is of a fine
yellow color." Dr. Garlick says, "These cocoons can
be collected in great numbers where the sassafras and
spice-bush are abundant, as it is in this region [Cleve-
land, Ohio], Silk can be drawn from this worm from
three to four feet long, and strong enough for salmon-
fishing, of the very best quality."

The Attacus polyphemus is another native silk-worm
worthy of attention. It is not described in the Nat-
uralisfs Library y but three exhaustive papers on its nat-
ural history and cultivation, by L. Trouvelot, may be
found in vol. i. of the American Naturalist, pp. 30, 86,
145. Mr. Trouvelot says in substance, the worm is over
three inches long and very thick. It is extremely hardy,
and will endure with impunity any temperature, even
below the zero of Fahrenheit. It feeds equally well on
the different species of oaks, maples, willows, poplars,
elms, hazels, birches, blueberry, and other plants, with-

Leaders. 91

out affecting the quality of the silk. '^ The silk in the
reservoirs is sometimes used in commerce, being sold
under the name of gut. The process of obtaining the
gut is very simple ; it consists in preparing worms ready
to spin by putting them in strong vinegar for eighteen
hours ; a transverse opening is then carefully made on
the under-side and about the middle of the body, taking
care not to injure the silk reservoirs, which are very dis-
tinct. The glands or reservoirs are then taken out and
stretched parallel to each other on a board, and dried
in the shade for several days." It will yield gut twenty-
five inches long.

The Satumia cynthia, or, as it is sometimes called,
the Samia cynthia, though a native of Japan, has be-
come acclimated, and is sometimes found wild in this
country on the ailanthus-tree. This is its favorite food,
hence it is sometimes called the ailanthus silk-worm. An
excellent paper on its natural history and cultivation, by
W. V. Andrews, may be found on page 311, vol. ii., of
the American Ndtvraliat A colored illustration of both
worm and moth may be found on page 149, vol. xxxii., of
the Naturalist'^a Library^ heretofore alluded to. From
its silk is made a "seemingly loose texture, but of in-
credible durability, the life of one person being seldom
sufficient to wear out a garment made of it."

We all know how prolific and how rapid is the growth
of the ailanthus, springing from a stub to considerable
height in a single season, and this on the poorest soils.
This worm is not a wanderer, but remains on the tree
on which it is placed as long as its food lasts. It is ex-
tremely hardy. Two broods a year may be raised. I
am not informed as to the length of gut which may be
drawn from it, but its greatly superior size indicates that

92 Fly-rods and Fly-tackle.

it must far excel the ordinary silk-worm (B. mori) in
this respect. No special facilities seem necessary. The
ailanthus can be raised with the greatest ease anywhere,
and by pruning can be forced to assume and retain a
low growth, so as to be readily accessible by the cultiva-
tor to facilitate the care of the worm. It can thus be
easily raised in the open air.

Undoubtedly a letter addressed to the Commissioner
of Agriculture at Washington would elicit not only any
further information which might be desired, but also
substantial aid by furnishing eggs or cocoons of any of
the species hereinbefore mentioned, since this depart-
ment of the Government is now exerting itself to foster
silk-culture in this country.

I have entered into this subject somewhat at length, in
the hope that it is only necessary to call attention to it,
to insure before long a supply of domestic gut far supe-
rior to- that we are now forced to put up with. At pres-
ent we are compelled to depend on Spanish gut. At
least twenty per cent, of this is imperfect, with hardly
any two strands of the same thickness, and seldom ex-
ceeding fifteen inches in length. If we may judge from
the past, with American ingenuity to conduct this man-
ufacture, soon the angler would be able to order gut of
a certain number, and receive an article perfectly round,
of any desired length, and each strand of uniform thick-
ness from one end to the other; the number as invaria-
bly indicating the diameter as a like designation now in-
dicates that of metal wire.

In rods, reels, and lines we lead the world ; why not
in this as well?

But another consideration suggests itself, of greater
moment than an improvement in the art we love so much.

Leaders. W

To snccessfully rear the ordinary silk-worm, patience
and capital must first be expended in cultivating the
mulberry required for its food. Again, like all animals
long domesticated, it has as many diseases as a horse,
and the most unremitting attention is required lest both
crop and stock be a total failure.

Already the reader will have noticed that the food of
all the worms to which his attention has been called is
ready to hand, and also that they are very hardy. To
collect the cocoons for a new crop, to care for the eggs
for a few days until they hatch, and to feed the young
until they are an inch or so long, is all that is required;
then they can be transferred to the trees, and left with
safety to the care of Nature. About twenty -five days
after hatching they must be watched, and those ready
to spin selected, pickled, and drawn, allowing enough to
form their cocoons to produce seed for the next crop.

Here is a new and lucrative industry, eminently adapt-
ed to those who, from sex or other causes, are unfitted
for severe manual labor, yet whose necessities compel
them to do something. Here is a boon to the female
population of our rural districts, to whom not energy nor
industry, but only the opportunity to provide for them-
selves, is wanting. No fear of over-production need be
felt, for the worms may be allowed to spin their cocoons,
and if they cannot be unreeled and made into goods as
fine as those from the cocoons of the ordinary silk-worm
— which is by no means certain — at all events they can
be carded, spun, and woven into an excellent, durable,
and desirable fabric. If the raw material can be had
in any quantity, no fear need be entertained in this
country that it will not be utilized.

As to making the gut, who will claim that a manufact-

04 Fly-rods and Fly-tackle.

lire which is within the scope of the ignorant peasantry
of Spain, is beyond the intelligence of our agricultural
population ? Failure may attend a first effort, but ex-
periment will cost nothing, and success will surely fol-
low perseverance. It is possible that a method of sizing
and rounding the gut might be devised, such as drawing
it through a " draw^-plate," either directly from the silk
sack or subsequently to that step, by which roundness
and uniformity might be secured automatically, and by
the most unskilled. A beginning is but necessary, and
American ingenuity will soon elaborate the best method
of manipulation.

A recent communication from Dr. Oarlick reads as
follows:

" Bedford, Ohio, August 27, 1884.
" Hmry P. Wells, Esq, :

"Dear Sir, — I have been trying to guess why it is
that some have failed to draw good gut from the A. ce-
cropia. It has occurred to my mind that possibly they
may have divided the worm too far back from the head,
thus dividing the silk sacks at a point where they are
too large to allow the fluid silk to flow just fast enough
to make the gut of the right size, also uniform in size.

"You are probably aware that if the spinnerets of
the worm were larger than what they are, the fibre of
the cocoon would be very much larger than what it is.

" It has also occurred to me that dividing the worm
too far back, the fluid silk may have been mixed with
other fluids of the worm, thus impairing the strength of
the gut. Very truly yours,

"T. Garlick."

Drawn gut may now be had it is true, but it is con-
fined to the very thinnest kinds. It is produced in Eng-

Leaders. d6

land and Scotland by redrawing imported gut. This
impairs the strength, and renders the gut prone to fray
and become ragged ; but at the same time it takes dye
much better and with a much more lustreless surface, a
feature of great value. Still, its excessive thinness is
unsuited to most of the requirements of the American
angler.

That the hope of 1884, hereinbefore expressed, should
in 1900 be still but a hope will doubtless appear to some
strong confirmation of Mr. Imbrie's view, that "the
numerous and invariable failures to produce ^ good qual-
ity of it outside of Murcia force the conclusion that
there are unique conditions favorable to its manufacture
there, and insurmountable objections to its manufacture
elsewhere." Further, I must admit that the some half-
dozen attempts to make good gut from our native silk-
worms which have come to my knowledge since the
subject was discussed in my first edition, have been in
every case abortive. The resulting product was invari-
ably fatally deficient in strength.

Yet I believe no scientific man aooustomed to original
investigation and experiment, who considered what has
been done and what is desired to be done in this matter,
would find therein just cause even for discouragement.
That what has been done can be done again, would suffi-
ciently answer every doubt. There can be no more doubt
that long, strong, and in every way serviceable gut has
been drawn from our native silk-worms, than that pow
der was burned at the battle of Bunker Hill. To ques-
tion the truth of facts vouched for as of their own per-
sonal doing by such men as Drs. Gkirlick and Sterling
is the very lunacy of scepticism. There is other and in-
dependent testimony to the same effect, as, for example,

96 Fly-Tods and Fly-taclde.

Mr. C. F. Orvie states in the interesting article in which
he describes his own efforts to make gut, published in
volume xxvii. of the Forest and Stream^ December 16,
1886, page 407 :

" I have in my possession a round, perfect strand of
gut which is now six feet long, and a piece has been
broken from it ; it is large and strong. It was given to
a friend of mine by an old fisherman of New York City,
Peter McMartin, who told us at the time that *it was
drawn from some big silk-worms by a man in New Jer-
sey.' This was years ago, more than twenty, before I
had thought of investigating for myself."

Through the kindness of Mr. Orvis I have inspected
this sample of gut. It was six feet and one inch in
length, badly drawn in that it was hardly anywhere
round, rather thicker at one end than the other, of the
average diameter of a rather heavy black-bass leader,
and quite yellow in color. As Mr. Orvis states, a piece
had obviously been broken from the thinner end. Though
it was something like forty years old, I could not break
that end with my bare hands.

We are dealing in this case with inert matter as
affected by the laws of nature. Neither individual ca-
price, obstinacy, or ill-will are factors in the problem.
Given the same conditions, and the same result must
surely follow. Throw a man out of the window, and he
falls towards the ground whether it be a Sunday or a
working day, whether it be New Year's day or the
Fourth of July. Natural laws know no sleep. It may
be difficult to restore the original conditions, or to
determine what those conditions were, or which of
them are essential conditions ; but this is within the
domain of experiment, a domain which intelligent,

Leaders. 9?

systematic, and persistent experiment seldom invades in
vain.

Kor do I think we should have to seek long to find
probable cause for these failures. In the first place, a
single experiment is nothing, since it is a mathematical
certainty that in a doubtful case the chances are very
many to one that but a negative result will be obtained.
Not that a negative result is by any means valueless,
since it narrows the field for investigation. The same
is true of two or three, or of a few experiments, partic-
ularly if conducted in a hap-hazard manner, or with little
reflection ; or in the endeavor to carry out an old proc-
ess, the essential details of which are ill understood or
unknown, and must be guessed at.

This disposes of all the experiments I know of, my
own included, except those of Mr. Orvis described in
the article mentioned above, which, though inconclusive,
were of a much higher character. It would have been
an uncommon fluke of good fortune had success attend-
ed any of these experiments but his ; and, as to his, he
himself attributes his failure, not to impossibility, but to
adverse conditions inherent in his environment.

Again, it is to be noticed that in every case within my
knowledge, Mr. Orvis's included, every one tried to fol-
low what they understood to be the Spanish process.
They all pickled their worms. Not one of them tried
the simple method which Dr. Gkirlick described in
his letters, printed on pages 88 and 94 of this book, as
that by which he succeeded.

The Spanish process, as described, calls for the im-
mersion of the worms in "strong vinegar " (lire's "Dic-
tionary of Arts and Sciences"), "a strong mixture of
vinegar and water " (Imbr ie) . Other authorities use sub-

08 Fly-rods and Fly-tackle.

stantially. the same phraseology. Mr. Imbrie, by far the
most specific of any of the writers I have been able to
discover, says unequivocally that success depends upon
the proper strength of the pickle. " If it is too strong,
the gut pulls out crooked, lumpy, and cracked ; if it is
too weak, the gut has not enough consistency to draw
out."

Now what is " strong vinegar," or " a strong mixture
of vinegar and water *' ? Vinegar is dilute acetic acid ;
and the quantity of acetic acid the vinegar contains de-
pends upon the amount of sugar the parent liquid con-
tained which is converted into acetic acid by fermenta-
tion. This sugar has the formula CgHijOg. The reac-
tion is : (sugar) C^H^jOe, on fermentation is converted
into 2C2H6O, (alcohol) -I-2CO2, (carbonic acid), which
passes off as a gas ; the alcohol is then oxidized into
acetic acid, CjH^Oj, by further fermentation, a molecule
of water, HjO, splitting off. " Strong vinegar " is there-
fore a very indefinite term. Ordinary vinegar contains
anywhere from two to six or seven per cent, of acetic
acid, more bite being sometimes given to the weaker
sorts by a dash of sulphuric acid.

Mr. Imbrie informs me that he tasted the Murcia
pickle when ready for use, and that it was then quite as
strong as any table vinegar he had known to be used in
this country.

The upshot of all this is that it would seem advisable
for the experimenter who proposes to try the pickling
method to get the best vinegar he can, which will proba-
bly be cider vinegar in this country ; to try a number of
experiments side by side — for example, pure vinegar, same
plus one-quarter water, same plus one-half water, and
same plus three-quarters water. Also, to vary the times

^ Leaders. M

of exposure in the pickle. Also to save time by running
these experiments simultaneously side by side, number-
ing each experiment ; and under that number keeping a
written record of just what it is and its results. The
notes should be made at the time of the observation, and
not later from memory, since memory is treacherous, and
it is of the first importance to be sure of one's ground
when later the effort is made to collate and compare
these notes and deduce sound conclusions from them.
At all events, that is substantially the way that a pro-
fessional experimenter would do.

Also, Dr. Garlick's method of drawing the gut from
the living worm, as hereinbefore described, should cer-
tainly be tried. The pickling method has its advantages
as a commercial process, if it can be made to work, since
if any number of worms are ripe at the same moment,
all can then be at once pickled ; whereas, of course, all
could not be operated on after Dr. Garlick's method at
one and the same time, and some of the worms might
actually begin to spin before their turn came. This
may have been a reason why the pickling method was
first adopted. Mr. Orvis's article, hereinbefore referred
to, should be carefully read by all who newly enter
this field. While he did not succeed in producing per-
fect gut, he did succeed without difficulty in raising
w^orras four and a half inches long, 'and three-quarters
of an inch in diameter. What he says of their care and
culture cannot fail to be profitable.

I feel as confident that si^ccess can be attained by the
pickling method, as that it cannot be attained without first
discovering by experiment the conditions upon which
success depends. Nor in expressing this confidence am
I at all influenced by my wishes. In a somewhat long

100 FVy-TodB and FVy-tcuMe.

and busy professional life I have seen many mechanical,
chemical, and mixed problems arise, have watched their
investigation, and witnessed their solution — problems
compared with which this one under consideration seems
very simple. Had I but the necessary leisure and en-
vironment nothing would please me more than to under-
take the matter myself. But since this cannot be, per-
haps I may incite to the attempt others having the same
inclination who may be more advantageously circum-
stanced. Could I make the attempt, I should follow the
path I have seen lead to success in similar investigations.
I should master the literature of silk-worm culture as
given in the encyclopaedias and dictionaries of the
arts, etc., Mr. Orvis's article hereinbefore mentioned,
and all other published information to which I could
gain access; not so much with intent to follow slavishly
anything therein contained, as that in case of difficulty
some suggestion might be found to aid in its solution.
Then I should experiment, and experiment, and experi-
ment, expecting repeated failure while confident of ulti-
mate success — carefully observing and noting every
result and indication obtained, whether favorable or
unfavorable ; and all the time keeping my results under
the dasher of the mental churn to separate the butter
from the skim-milk, and learn what to try next. The
game of twenty questions would be my model. The
start might be quite wide of the mark. But by a grad-
ual process of elimination the range of inquiry would
constantly narrow, till at last I feel confident in the
residue would be found what was sought.

Side by side with the pickling method that of Dr.
Garlick should be tried exactly as he prescribes, and
also with variations. His method of drawing the gut

Leaders. 101

from the living worm is not very attractive to a ha-
mane person. Perhaps this vivisection may be unnec-
essary. Many ways of killing insects other than by
immersion in vinegar are practised by entomologists.
Momentary immersion in boiling water or exposure to
the vapor of chloroform, ether, alcohol, or ammonia,
might be tried, the liquid being placed in a flat dish rest-
ing on the bottom of a box, the worms on a wire-gauze
raised tray, and the box closed. But even if Dr. Gar-
lick's method, pure and simple, were the only available
method, still there is money in its success. I have paid
as high as five dollars for a really phenomenal salmon
leader nine feet long, and found the apparent extrava-
gance an actual economy.

Whether the scrap-basket is not the proper place for
the foregoing rather than this book, seems doubtful.
Either it will tend to the establishment of this industry
in this country, or it will not. If it will not, it is a clear
waste of good paper and ink. On the other hand, if it
does, then such value as it may have had is at an end
from the moment the industry is established. Conceding
for the sake of argument that what I have written on
this subject is worth printing, even then is not its proper
place something more ephemeral than a bound volume ?

The yawning mouth of the scrap-basket, though mute,
makes strong appeal. But think what a boon such gut
as it seems certain has been drawn from our native silk-
worms would be to the angling fraternity of this coun-
try — indeed, of the world — if it could be had when
wanted. The advantage that the cultivation of this
now useless worm, and its conversion into a merchanta-
ble product, would be to our rural population — requiring
little or no capital, and so well adapted as a field of in-

102 Fly-rods and FlytacUe.

dustry to those incapable of severe manual labor — has
been already dwelt on.

One thing is absolutely certain, and that is, if gut can
be produced from our native silk -worms which will
equal in strength that we now use, diameter for diame-
ter, the Spanish gut could not compete with it for a
moment. The great length of strand of the native gut,
so many times that of the longest Spanish gut, must
give ours the preference here and abroad. But upon
this question of strength there seems small room for
doubt. All authorities agree that the silk in the co-
coon of the Cecropia worm is of great strength. Dr.
Garlick's query, "If the silk of the Attacus Cecropia
is strong, why should not the gut be strong ?" would
appear to admit of but one reasonable answer. If the
silk is strong, it is strong, seems a proposition affording
scanty room for debate. But even assuming it to be
somewhat inferior to that of the Chinese moth in
strength, still we ought to capture the market in the
thicker grades, since in those grades a very slight in-
crease in diameter involves a large proportionate increase
of material, which should more than make good any
moderate difference in relative strength.

Influenced by these considerations, I have at last con-
cluded to ignore the scrap - basket. Should in the
future this industry be established in this country, as I
have no doubt that sooner or later it will be, and what
I have written on the subject become stale and unprofit-
able, I trust my then readers will remember that what
is an old story to them was still a possibility of the
future to me. No just judgment of any fact is possi-
ble if attendant circumstances are ignored. We should
hold him mad who attempted to swim on dry land or

Leaders. 108

walk on the water ; and equally mad should he do, or re-
frain from doing, either in its appropriate place if the
need of action was urgent.

. No other angling appliance is more difficult to judge
from inspection than gut while in the hank. When the
hank is opened and each strand is drawn through the
finger and separately examined, it is easier but still
difficult accurately to determine its quality.

No expert pretends to judge the quality of gut in the
bundle except with the aid of a strong light. The eye
must be in constant training, and as keen to detect the
slightest variations of appearance as that of a dyer.
The angler, therefore, from the nature of the case, can-
not be much better than a fair judge. For example,
the fly end of a leader sooner or later becomes fuzzy
with use. This occurs much sooner in some leaders than
in others, while it measures the useful life in all. Of
two hanks of gut, the product of one may outwear the
other twenty-five per cent, in this respect, yet the two
may resemble each other so closely that only a trained
eye would be likely to detect this difference in value.

Printed directions alone are, therefore, quite inade-
quate to make the amateur a first-class judge of gut.
Still, they may furnish a good working foundation for
the leaven of experience.

The features to be sought are a good color, a hard,
wiry texture, roundness, even diameter from end to end,
and length. From these are to be inferred the strength
and wearing quality of the gut, which are what we wish
to estimate.'

We now face the strongest attainable light, and hold
the bundle of gut to be judged in front of us so that one
end projects towards the light and the other towards us,

104 Fly-rods <md FVy-tdclde.

each hand holding an end of the bundle. We now bring
one hand towards the other, thus compelling the strands to
separate, and forcing the gut to bend upward in a curve
something less than a semicircle. In this position it
will be noticed that a certain part of the curve seems
more highly illuminated than the rest. Holding the gut
thus bent, we slowly raise first one hand and then the
other, so that this high light shall run slowly to and fro
over the curved gut from end to end. During this
operation round gut will present a uniform color, while
"flats" will reflect the light unequally, and, therefore,
seem to scintillate. However appropriate this method
may be to the gut in hank, it is hardly applicable to a
single strand. In such case, if the strand be rolled be-
tween the ends of the thumb and second finger — not the
first finger, which is less sensitive — an ordinarily acute
touch will detect whether the strand is round or not.

The available length of the gut is, of course, deter-
mined almost at the first glance.

From the color we infer whether the gut is fresh or
stale, its probable strength in relation to its thickness,
and, in part, its wearing quality. In all these respects
fresh gut is superior to old gut of original equal quality.
The color can best be judged from the fuzzy end of the
hank, and should be clear and glassy, and by no means
dull or yellowish.

The wearing quality of the gut maybe judged partly
by its color, partly by its springiness when bent and re-
laxed, and also by its hardness. It should feel like wire.

Really first-class gut of any size is a much scarcer
article than is generally supposed. It is to be remem-
bered that as yet it is not machine made, and lacks the
uniformity characteristic of such products. Gut-draw-

Leaders. 106

ing is a purely manual operation, the result of which is
influenced by anything which at the moment affects the
operator. It is also a domestic operation, carried on in
the homes of the peasantry, and subject to domestic in-
fluences. If the baby begins to squall, or the dog gets
after the cat at the critical moment, through the strand
then produced the effect of that local disturbance may
be transmitted to the American angler across the broad
Atlantic. Aside from this, the crop varies greatly in
quality from year to year.

The following figures were obtained from a large
manufacturer, who assured me they fairly represented
the average of three seasons' crops, and the sorting and
classification of over two million strands of gut.

Out of one hundred thousand strands of gut bought
at wholesale as of the same grade and quality, and run-
ning as even in these respects as is usual in the trade,
but one thousand strands rate first-class, three thousand
second-class, ten thousand third-class, twenty thousand
fourth - class, fifty thousand fifth - class, ten thousand
sixth-class, and six thousand will be waste.

A reputable dealer will not willingly sell a fly-fisher-
man leaders of, or flies tied on, fifth or sixth class gut.
He knows they will not give satisfaction if used where
gut of that thickness is commonly used, and that he will
have to bear the blame and consequent loss of the future
custom of the purchaser and perhaps of his friends.
Experience and the traditions of his trade have taught
him that the fact that the purchaser would not pay for
a better quality, and is therefore really alone to blame,
will make no difference. Few blame themselves for
their folly when they can find elsewhere a scapegoat in-
capable of protest.

106 Fly-roda and Fly-tdcJde.

Now what becomes of all this cheap trash, averaging
sixty per cent, of the product ?

He who has been accustomed to pay a reputable dealer
say a dollar apiece for nine - foot leaders, and sees on
the bargain counter of a department store leaders of
similar length and thickness for sale, say at twenty-five
cents each, and, thinking he has found a bargain, takes
advantage of it, will be very apt to find his gratification
but temporary.

Ordy those whose time is their own and whx>se fly -fishing
lies at their own threshold can afford to experiment with
cheap tackle. I believe I have never met an experienced
fiy-fisherman who would not unhesitatingly endorse this.
I have rarely met a beginner, unless one to whom econ-
omy was no consideration, who could be so convinced.
Assent in words might be had ; but his expressed faith
was inconsistent with his actual works. It would seem
to be a lesson to be learned only in the costly school of
experience. Injudicious economy is not infrequently
the wildest extravagance.

To this may be added one point. Soak an average
strand or two of your gut, tie a loop in each end, place
one end over a hook and the other on a spring-balance,
and find what the breaking strain actually is. Gut of the
same diameter differs so much in strength that this will
not be wasted time. I have made an attempt to tabulate
the fair average of strength to be expected from gut of
certain sizes, but the measurements are so minute, and
require appliances so unusual to determine them, that it
has been abandoned as of no practical value. I myself
always measure gut before purchasing it. Sometimes I
have used a Stubb's wire-gauge for this purpose, but it
is much too coarse. Uncolored gut No. 28 on that stand-

Leaders. 10?

ard shoald stand eight poands steady pull with a spring-
balance ; the drawn gut measures thereon about No. 31,
and should stand two and a half pounds. New gut of
No. 30 should not break short of four and a half to five
pounds tested in this manner. I now use a gauge simi-
lar to that employed to determine the thickness of violin
strings. It is very easily made, and is quite satisfactory.
A A represents two pieces of brass touching at one
end, but separated about an ordinarily fine sewing-nee-
dle's thickness at the other. The adjacent edges must
be straight. On each side of the closed ends a flat piece
of brass is placed, J?, and the whole united with soft
solder and then finished up. Its total length is two and
a half inches. One of the limbs,
one and three-quarter inches
long, is divided into tenths of
an inch, as shown. Some sim-
Y\^^ 19 ilar device will be found useful

for purposes of comparison by
those who tie their own flies and leaders, enabling sucli
to duplicate a satisfactory size — an effort liable to be at-
tended with mistake if the eye and memory alone are
relied on. Of course an average must be taken, as no
bundle of gut runs perfectly uniform — at least as far as
I have ever seen.

Having obtained the gut, the next step is the dyeing.
The books on angling contain receipts without num-
ber for this purpose, but my experiments induce me to
believe that two, or at most three of these, answer every
purpose. I have endeavored to ascertain with some de-
gree of certainty how much the dyeing process weakens
the gut, but the investigation is hedged about with dif-
ficulties. I first tried looping half a dozen strands of

108 Fly-rods and Fly-tackle.

gut from the same bundle, and finding and recording the
breaking strain of each strand. Then after knotting the
pieces together, and dyeing them in a certain manner,
the breaking strain was again determined and compared
with that first obtained. From these data it was pro-
posed to compute the loss in strength due to the use of
that particular dye ; but a moment's reflection suffices
to show that this method can afford no sure result; for
each strand of course broke in the first instance at its
weakest point. Consequently, after the fragments have
been united, the then breaking strain is unknown, and it
is with this unknown quantity the comparison is neces-
sarily made. Other methods were tried, but none were
free from objection. However, it seems safe to say that
from fifteen up to forty and even fifty per cent, of the
strength of the gut may be lost in this process, according
to the skill and care used therein.

If the following directions are followed, it is believed
this will be reduced to a minimum. Before dyeing gut,
the ragged ends should be clipped and the useful por-
tion bundled together by tying at one end only. This
bundle should be well washed with brown soap and
water, and then rinsed in at least three waters until the
soap is thoroughly eliminated ; it should then be wiped,
and allowed to dry. Thus any greasy matter which
may be upon the surface of the gut from any cause will
be removed, and the dye will bite with greater prompt-
ness and the more indelibly. For if all dyes are to some
extent corrosive, as seems to be the case, it is well to ex-
pose the gut to this influence for as short a time as will
produce the desired result.

The least injurious of any which will give a useful
color is the ink-dye. Indeed I have thought at times

Leaders. I09

Its ase was attended with no loss whatever. Doubtless
this is partly due to the fact that the gut is then not
subjected to heat. The resultant color is a neutral tint
of an azure tone, a color excellent in itself. Ink^ how-
ever, is generally considered inferior to the dyes of which
copperas is a component, in that it does not equally
neutralize the natural gloss of the surface of the gut.
This is of the utmost consequence, since, as will be seen
hereafter, from a glossy surface the light is so reflected
that a strand of such gut appears in the water like a
polished silver wire. Mr. Fred Mather, the widely
and well-known superintendent of the Cold Spring Fish
Hatchery, informs me that the juice of the milk- weed
will remove this gloss. I have had no opportunity to
try this, but if when used in conjunction with the dyes
it will produce this effect without injuring the gut, Mr.
Mather by his suggestion adds another to the numerous
obligations he has already placed upon the angling
fraternity.

The comparative merits of the different colors are
discussed in the chapter on Flies and Fly-fishing. My
experiments seem to indicate that a leader absolutely in-
visible to the fish, if it ever will be, has not as yet been
produced. Experiment and experience alike incline me
to believe that more important than fishing up or down
stream — ^more important than wearing brilliant or sober
tinted clothing — more important than wading rather
than fishing from the bank — more important than being
yourself visible or concealed — ^more important, indeed,
than any of the dozen different cautions of the books, is
it to have your leader — the connection between you and
the flies — absolutely invisible ; or, since this seems im-
possible in the present state of the art, then at least

no Fly-rods and Fly4acJde.

that it present to the fish no unnsual or unfamiliai
appearance. That in or on smooth water, at least,
the leaders in present use fill neither of these con-
ditions, unless my experiments deceive me, I cannot
doubt.

Take this case into consideration from the Forest and
Stream of February 28, 1 884 : " Near us we have a stream
in which fish — trout — ^are scarce and wild. They are ex-
ceedingly suspicious of any kind of tackle. ... I had
repeatedly cast the most tempting flies, with a mist-col-
ored leader, without effect. A soliloquy followed : ' That
leader is not natural to the every-day life of the fish.'
I adjourned to a neighboring meadow and cut three or
four long leafy timothy stalks, which I very loosely
whipped to my leader. There was no casting, but sim-
ply letting the line float with the current over the most
likely places. Complete success was my reward. — ^ Forty-
Niner: "

" Forty - Niner " leaders, prepared as described, did
comply with one of these conditions, and the " complete
success " which attended its use is replete with instruc-
tion to all such as, in the picturesque language of the
Orient, are willing to be admonished.

The ink-dye consists simply of "Arnold's Writing
Fluid," diluted with an equal bulk of cold water. In
this the gut, washed as before directed, is immersed
from one-half to three or four hours, according to its
thickness, or until the desired color is obtained.

Before introducing the gut the entire contents should
be poured from the ink-bottle. Should much precipitate
be found the ink should not be used, since possible de-
composition and the presence of free sulphuric acid is
thus indicated.

Leadera. Ill

The following process, taken from Chitty by Norris,
was originally derived by me from the latter's most ex-
cellent booky "The American Angler." I do not quote,
but give the process as I use it.

In a pint and a half of cold water put one drachm of
ground logwood and six grains of powdered copperas.
Boil for about five or six minutes, or until a piece of
writing-paper immersed therein is promptly colored.
Then remove the pot from the fire, and as soon as the
liquid becomes quiescent put in the gut, tied to a little
stick or a wire so that it may be lifted and examined
from time to time. With watch in hand, give it two
to three minutes, according to its thickness, and then
inspect the result. If not dyed sufficiently, replace it for
another half -minute ; and so on till the required shade is
obtained. Then wash well in cold water, and the process
is complete.

This will dye one hank of gut. Then it should be
thrown away, and a fresh decoction made if more gut
is to be colored ; for the dye becomes more and more
feeble with use, and a more and more protracted expos-
ure to the heated liquid is therefore required. Though
the copperas itself impairs the gut to a certain degree,
still this appears to be of small moment when compared
to the injury done by long continued immersion in the
almost boiling liquid. Indeed it seems to make the dif-
ference between a loss of fifteen and possibly fifty per
cent., as before intimated. The color thus obtained is a
dull neutral tint.

Different samples of logwood vary greatly in the
amount of extractive color they contain. This may be
tested with a slip of writing-paper, as before intimated.
If failure is encountered it will be from this cause, and

113 Fly-rods and Fly-tackle.

Buccess will attend a change to logwood procured from
another soarce.

In streams where floating grass and weeds are not un-
common, the following may give better results ; for
though more visible, it presents a less unusual appear-
ance. I borrow it from Francis Francis's book on "An-
gling :" " Boil green baize in water, and when this is
well charged with color, and still warm, immerse the gut
therein until sufficiently dyed." Then wash as before.
All these boiling operations should be conducted in
earthenware vessels, since most dyes are sensitive to
metallic salts or oxides.

Having dyed and washed the gut, while still soft bind
it to a stick that it may dry straight. Then proceed to
sort it, selecting first and placing by themselves all the
thickest strands, rejecting altogether such as are flat and
irregular in form; for these are not only deficient in-
strength, but, giving more reflection, are consequently
far more conspicuous in or on the water. Throw these
away without hesitation, for they are worse than useless.
When doubt is experienced whether any of the remain-
ing strands should be classified with those first select-
ed, begin at the other end of the scale, and proceed in
the same manner to select and separate all the thin-
nest strands. Thus make three bundles of large, me-
dium, and small gut. You are now ready to tie your
leaders.

First, however, the proposed length must be deter-
mined, and this should be such that when the tail -fly
is hooked upon one of the posts separating the side plates
of the reel, the leader will extend to within eight inches
or a foot of the tip-end of the rod. Make the upper
third of the leader from the bundle composed of the

Lead^s. 113

largest gut, the middle from the medium bundle, and
the fly end from that containing the thinnest gut.

Having selected the strands, but still keeping them
separate by tying each little bundle with a different
colored thread, soften by soaking in warm water, such
as is not uncomfortable to the touch. Ordinarily cold
water is to be preferred to soften a leader preparatory
to attaching it to the line, but where knots are to be
tied the utmost softness is required, not only that the
gut may not crack during the operation, but to insure
that each knot draws so tight as thereafter to be beyond
the possibility of slipping.

When the gut is perfectly pliable, beginning at the
line end, select the largest strand, and doubling one end
into a loop, tie this ordinary knot, using the doubled part
as though it were a single piece of string. Arrange
the position of the knot so as to give a loop from one-
half to three-quarters of an inch long. Then inserting
a match through the loop, grasp the short end between
the teeth, the long end with the left hand, and draw the
knot together, shaking it well when under the final strain
to settle the parts together just as far as they can be
made to slip.

nig. 90.— The ordinary knot

114

Fly-rods and Fly-tackle.

Fig. 8L— Same knot to form loop on leader.

Knots, theoretically more perfect, are generally em-
ployed for this purpose, but practically they are no whit
better — indeed hardly so good, since they are all more or
less complex, while this knot is already known to every
child ten years old.

The next step is to unite this looped strand to an-
other, to be the next thickest of the bundle from which
the first was chosen. For this purpose the very same
knot may be used, by lapping the ends past each other,
and then proceeding as though you were about to tie
the same knot in a single string, and adjusting its posi-
tion so as to fall on the doubled part — thus :

Fig. 22.

Leaders.

115

This knot is however inconvenient, in that the entire
strand must be drawn through the knot every time it is
formed.

There is another method, that which I use myself and
prefer.

F1S.S8.

It is still the same knot we have used before. The
strands are lapped, and two ordinary knots are tied, one
with each short part around each long part. The knots
are then drawn tight where they are made ; then upon
pulling on the long ends the two ordinary knots will
slide together, when they should be well shaken while
under strain, as and for the purpose above set forth.
This is known as the " single water-knot." The " double
water -knot" is generally used for this purpose, since
then it is claimed the ends can be cut off as close as pos-
sible without danger of slipping, and this is true. It is
tied in the same way as the single water - knot, except
that each short part is passed twice around the neighbor-
ing long parts instead of but once, and the end of each
short part is passed through both the loops so formed.

Fig. 84.

116 Fly-rods <md Fly-tcuMe.

Till within the last five years I always ased the double
water-knot, but then disliking its size and obtrusiveness,
I turned to the single water-knot, and have employed
that with entire satisfaction ever since. There is un-
questionably more margin for carelessness to escape the
usual penalty in the double, than in the single knot.
But with care, not forgetting when straining the twin
knots (if I may use that expression) together to shake
them well, the single water-lmot is perfectly safe and by
no means so bulky.

It is exceedingly difficult verbally so to describe a
knot, that one entirely unacquainted with it can at the
first effort successfully follow the given directions. That
one possible stumbling-block may be removed, it may be
remarked that both of these water-knots are really com-
posed of two separate knots, tied with each short end of
the strands, and around the long portion of the strand
against which each is lapped. Each of these component
knots, therefore, merely embraces the longer neighboring
strand, and the latter may freely slide within it. This
feature is sometimes taken advantage of as a solution to
the difficult question, how the drop-flies may most ad-
vantageously be attached to the leader. For if the two
knots which compose the water-knot be seized by the
finger-nails, tbeoretically they may be separated an inch
or so, leaving the gut doubled between these knots. If
then the end of the gut upon which a drop-fly is tied be
inserted between this doubled gut, and the component
knots be drawn together, the end of the drop-fly gut is
secured, and the fly stands out nicely at right angles from
the leader.

I say theoretically the water-knot will separate; but
practically, after the leader is wet and swollen, it will

Leaders. 117

absolutely refuse so to do at least two -thirds of the
time. I have even tied in, when forming the knot, a
third thick strand, to be removed when the knot was
complete, and thus allow for the swelling of the leader
when wet. But it was the same old story; like the
Dutchman's pig, sometimes it would and sometimes it
wouldn't.

No trifle is more exasperating than to stand knee-
deep in water, a choice and favorite pool before you,
one fly between your teeth, and your rod tucked under
your arm, and pick away and in vain at these knots.
I have even heard adjectives of great force then ap-
plied to them, and in a tone which left no question of
the heartiness of the condemnation.

If, however, this method of attaching the drop-flies is
preferred, the double water-knot should be used rather
. than the single, since the latter will not bear with safety
the incidental manipulation.

The following seems to me preferable, and though a
little more visible, still the drop-flies can thus always
readily be changed, and that without danger to the an-
gler's peace of mind.

At the place where the drop-flies should be, join the
leader by two loops instead of knots — thus :

Flg.2B.

118

FVy-roda and FVy-iaclde.

By poshing these loops apart, an opening may be f onned
in which the gut of the drop - fly may be inserted, and
securely held when the loops are drawn tight again.

There is nothing in the making of a leader beyond^
forming the loops at the proper places, and uniting the
short lengths by knots. This has been described.

Some recommend fastening a gut loop to the end of
the line, and looping the leader to it in the usual man-
ner — that is, by inserting the loop on the line through
the loop on the larger end of the leader, and then draw-
ing the entire leader through the former, just as the
tail -fly is ordinarily attached to the leader. Others
prefer to knot the line to the leader in the following

manner :

Fig. 87.— il, Hue; A, leader.

This knot is theoretically a perfect knot, in that it will
stand forever if so desired, yet may be loosed with ease
at any lime. The knot as first figured, is not yet drawn
together. Care must be taken that this knot does not

Leaders. 119

"upset" when tightened — ^that is, the knot must be on
the loop of the leader itself, and by no means on the
line, «ince in the one case it will stand, and in the other '
it will not. This will be more clear if we investigate
the principle on which it is constructed. On examining
the diagram, it appears that the end of the line is
first run through the loop of the leader, then wrapped
entirely around the outside of the loop, and lastly is
tucked between the line on one side and both parts of
the loop on the other. Clearly this knot cannot slip, un-
less the end of the line slips at the same time. But the
greater the strain, the more firmly that end is compressed
and held ; while if the knot is pushed down the loop of
the leader, as shown in the first figure, it is clear that
the end is at once freed from pressure, and may be easily
withdrawn and the knot released. To facilitate this,
some double the end before putting it under the line, as
shown in the second figure. Then a pull on the end
loosens the knot, just as a shoe is untied. If, however,
the knot is allowed to " upset," this is the result, in which
it is clear, first, that the end of the line is not " jammed,"
and second, that the knot cannot easily be unfastened.

Fig. 88.— il, line; B, leader.

If not already familiar with this knot, try it right here
with a piece of string. It is very simple. Half a dozen
experiments, guided by the diagram, will indelibly im-
press it on the memory. No person learns a knot solely

120 Fly-roda and Fly4aclde,

from inspection of a drawing. But such inspection be-
comes study when combined with an effort to follow out
the illustration in practice, and this is the way, and the
only way, and at t^ie same time a sure way, to master a
matter of this kind. Some complain they can never learn
a knot from a book. The only difficulty is that such do
not attack it in the right way. Any of the simple knots
required by the angler can thus readily be mastered,
provided the learner will only try string in hand.

How far the drop-flies should be placed from the tail-
fly depends on circumstances. With a long rod they
may be nearer than with a short rod, so also when wad-
ing as compared to fishing from the bank. With a ten-
foot rod about forty inches between the tail and middle
fly, and from eighteen to twenty-four inches between the
latter and the hand-fly, will be the average.

It is customary to secure the tail-fly to the leader by
providing both with loops and looping them together
as shown in Fig. 25. But I decidedly prefer to have
my flies, no matter how diminutive they may be, tied
on eyed hooks. This form of hook has been described
and discussed in Chapter I. How it is to be tied to the
leader only remains to be stated.

In tying these knots it is well invariably to hold the
hook in one and the same position, and always to pass
the leader in one and the same way. Indeed, this is
true of all knots, and is based on the fundamental prin-
ciple of mnemonics, that it is easier to remember one
thing than half a dozen. For example, the knot figured
in the following cut may be tied with the point of the
hook uppermost, as shown ; or with it pointing down-
ward, or to either side. Also, with the hook in any one
of these positions, the leader, after threading through

Leaders. 121

the eye, may be first passed to one or the other side of
the shank. While each of these methods will give the
same ultimate practical result, the various steps, though
identical in principle, seem different in execution. Ob-
viously, if one tried to tie the knot in all these different
positions, choosing first one and then another at hap-
hazard, the knot is not mastered for practical use until
the manipulation incident to each of these positions is
fully acquired. In other words, the learner inadver-
tently charges himself with mastering a dozen or more
knots when one would fully answer every practical pur-
pose. The objection most frequently urged against the
eyed hook is the difficulty of knotting it to the leader.
This difficulty is really unnecessarily self-created, and
would cease if the hook and leader were always handled
in precisely the same way.

For these reasons the beginner is earnestly advised
always to hold the hook and always to pass the leader
as shown in the following cuts.

It will be seen at a glance that the knot is identical
with that shown in Fig. 26, and that the remarks made
in connection with that figure apply. It is also clear
that after use the knot may be loosened and untied
with the greatest ease by merely pushing the leader
farther through the eye in the direction of the bend of
the hook.

122 Fly-rods and Fly-tackle,

This knot, Fig. A, will stand very well where the eye
of the hook is small. But since it cannot be relied on
for "loop-eyed" hooks where the eye is larger, that
shown in Fig. B is advisable in all cases, as the memory
is then charged with but one knot.

Ffg. B.

It will be seen that this knot differs from that shown
in Fig. A only in that the end of the leader is passed
around the shank twice, instead of once, before the knot
is drawn tight. Try it. Tie a loop on the end of one
piece of string and imagine it to be the eye of a hook.
Take another string, which imagine to be a leader.
Then, with Fig. B before you, carefully and slowly fol-
low what is there shown. Three minutes at the outside
will master the problem, for it might serve as a type
for simplicity itself.

This knot will hold perfectly as long as desired, and
can be untied with the same facility and in the same
way as that shown in Fig. A. In my own practice I
always fasten my line to my leader with this knot.

It will be noticed that the free end of the leader pro-
jects at right angles to the shank of the hook in both
these knots. This end should be cut off if it projects
over a quarter of an inch. A projection of one-eighth
of an inch is about right.

Some object to this rectangular projection of the free
end of the leader, and modify the knot so that the end

Leaders.

128

of the leader projects in a line parallel with and close
to the body of the fly. Of course the end then requires
no cutting off. It is a better knot, but it is more diffi-
cult to learn.

It is begun as shown in Fig. C.

Pig. c.

This is identical with Fig. A, which we already know,
so there is nothing new to learn here.

Then, instead of passing the end of the leader twice
around the shank of the hook, as in Fig. B, we pass it
over the long part of the leader as shown in Fig. D.

Fig. D.

Remember always to hold the hook as shown. Now
look carefully at Fig. D, and note exactly how the end
of the leader is passed in reference to the long part of
the leader — see a. This is the crux of the position.
If this is right, all the rest is easy. You will note

134 Fly-rods and Fly-tackle.

that when the hook is held in the position shown in
Fig. D that the end passes above the long part of the
leader, not below.

Then tuck the end through the loop first formed
(Fig. C) alongside the wing (as shown in Fig. E) and
draw the knot tight by pulling first on the end, then on
the leader.

Fig. K

This is known as the "Figure-Eight Knot."
The last step in the knot is most conveniently taken
when the fly is held with the wing uppermost — that is,
finish Fig. D with the hook in the position shown.
Then, being sure that the end passes over the leader as
therein shown, turn the hook so the wing of the fly is
uppermost, and then finish the Fig. E step of the knot.
This method of attaching the flies to the leader
has, I believe, many advantages. The customary l6ops
are apt to immesh more or less air, which, when sub-
merged, shines like polished silver ; while all disturb-
ance of the water caused by the knot I advocate ig
so close to the fly as readily to be attributed to the
motion of the fly itself. Again, it is unnecessary to
pass the fly through the loop, and the injury it not
unfrequently suflFers from this cause is avoided, while
all flies are alike indifferently available for droppers as

Leddera. 125

well as stretchers ; and lastly, an ordinary tin tobacco-
box becomes a most convenient fly-book for temporary
use. When this method is followed, the dropper -gut
lengths of conrse remain constantly attached to the
leader while in use.

Having completed your leader, grading its taper by
careful and orderly selection from the thick, medium and
thin bandies of gut, snip off the free ends closely. The
next step is to test it. This should never be omitted.
Provide yourself with some strips of writing-paper about
half an inch wide and an inch long, and gum one end, and
let this dry. Then proceed as follows : Soak your leader
till perfectly soft. Thrust a brad-awl through one end
loop, and into a board. Apply a spring-balance to the oth-
er end loop, holding this with the right hand, while you
reach before it and grasp the leader with the left. Then
strain the leader till it breaks, noting upon the spring-
balance at how many pounds this takes place. Then
knot the leader again, snip off the ends, coil it about
something round to give it a nice appearance, and after
removing the leader, fasten the coils so formed by wind-
ing one end spirally about them. Then write the date,

and " breaks at pounds," on one of the paper slips,

and attach it to the leader. You will thereafter know
the history of that leader, and what reliance can be
placed upon it. Should the leader break in testing much
below what you think it should have endured, prove it
again after re-tying it. For in the first instance the gut
may have been cracked somewhere, and if this was the
case your test gave no indication of its real strength.
I believe it will be found wise invariably to test a leader
every time it is to be used.

This can be readily and satisfactorily done without

126 FVy-rods wad Fly-tacJde.

other appliance than the angler^s own two hands. Seize
the line with one hand and the leader about a foot be-
yond the line with the other. Then give two or three
smart jerks. If it stands, test the next foot or so in the
same manner, and so on down to and including the tail-
fly. Be careful to have the knots, which are the most
to be suspected parts, between the hands — ^that is, each
hand should always grasp the leader between the knots.
A little common-sense must temper the severity of the
jerk, which, of course, must bear some relation to the
thickness of the gut. This test is best applied only
when the leader is wet and soft ; when dry, great care
must be taken not to bend the leader sharply where
grasped, or the dry gut may crack, when, of course, its
strength at that point is gone.

To recapitulate : When made or bought, test the
leader with the spring balance and attach a tag giving
date and number of pounds applied to test it. After
that, when in use, test the leader at least once — better
still, twice — each day by the other method, and you need
have little fear that your leader will play you false.

Consider this incident. A friend was about to make
his maiden cast in Maine waters, to which he had been
attracted by reports of the large trout which might be
there taken. Since the trip had been determined on, he
had dreamed of nothing but big trout, and his ardor was
at fever heat. Beside leaders fit to hold a shark, which
had been specially provided for that occasion, he had
half a dozen lighter ones, left from a previous excursion
to the Adirondacks. He was strongly recommended to
test, and, if strong enough, to use the latter. Not one of
them, on the first trial, bore a strain of half a pound with-
out rupture. Some broke three times, but not one failed

Leaders. 127

finally to endure four and a half pounds, and that with
but trivial loss in length. Had he used the leaders he in-
tended, their excessive thickness and unnecessary obtru-
siveness would doubtless have seriously lessened his
chances of success with the grade of fish he had come so
far to take; while had he employed the others, how great
would have been his disappointment when every decent
rise he had must have been followed by the loss of the
fish, his flies, and a portion of his leader. The fault lay
not with the quality of the gut, for that was good enough;
but at some time since these leaders were made, they had
been subjected to maltreatment when dry, breaking the
fibre, and thus rendering the leader worse than useless
until the damaged part was eliminated. The most care-
ful and critical ocular inspection would have given rise
to no suspicion how defective these leaders really were.
Actual test alone could detect their weakness.

Take another instance from my own experience. Some
years ago I purchased a bundle of gut, which, though
small in diameter, was of uncommon length, as well as
of unusual excellence in every other respect. It was
justly regarded as a great prize. Having abundance of
other colors, I prepared to dye this lot in a decoction of
red onion-peel, under the mistaken impression that a
brownish-yellow tint was the least visible in brown wa-
ters. The dye did not seem to bite readily, so the aid
of heat was sought to hasten the process. This had the
desired effect, and a very satisfactory color was obtained.
Half a dozen leaders were made from it in the hurry in-
cident to the last day or two of preparation for a some-
what protracted fishing-trip, and with them in my fly-
book I set out. Arriving in the evening, the next morn-
ing we began our preparations for fishing, when these

188 Ply^ods and Flytackle.

leaders were produced with a grand flourish before the
other anglers then present, and their supposed merits
were expatiated upon. From hand to hand they passed,
the length and the roundness of the strands, and their
uniform and delicate color, eliciting universal admiration.
It then occurred to me that they had not been tested; and
this, acting on principle, and not because I entertained
the most remote suspicion of their strength, I proceeded
to do. We have the best of authority that " pride goeth
before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall," and
so it was in this case. The gut before dyeing showed an
average breaking strain of eight pounds, and guided by
the tests then made, not the slightest doubt was enter-
tained that the leaders made from it, after dyeing, would
stand six pounds at least; but the protracted exposure
to heat had rotted them throughout, and they broke
again and again at two pounds, and less. It may easily
be imagined that so little wool after so great a cry was
sufficiently humiliating; but at the same time the cloud
had its silver lining, though invisible until its shadow had
passed. I then learned the lessons which it is the pur-
pose of these incidents to impress— keep your gut from
hot water except in dyeing, and then let the exposure
be as brief as possible; and never use an untested leader,
no matter how great your confidence in its strength
may be.

The strain imposed upon a leader by even the largest
trout is generally greatly over-estimated. A leader that
will endure five pounds steady strain with a spring-bal-
ance will, when backed by the elasticity of a fair rod, re-
sist the utmost effort of the largest trout that swims the
Rangely Lakes. I doubt whether the largest of them on a
steady strain can pull one pound ip still water; though of

Leaders, 129

<^ur8e if it gather momentum, and thus throw its weight
and velocity suddenly upon a leader^ the momentary
strain might be much greater. It is also quite another
thing to drag a struggling fish through the water against
his utmost effort, from merely holding him at a fixed
distance. It is quite true that the strain imposed by a
spring-balance is an even and steady pull, most favorable
to the endurance of the gut ; and also that in actual use,
in a moment of inattention on the part of the angler,
strains of a different and more sudden nature may be en-
countered. But still I believe that a leader that will
stand a spring-balance pull of four and a half to five
pounds, has ample reserve to meet this. A thin leader
is a very decided advantage, and nothing heavier than
gut adequaie to meet a reasonable margin for deteriora-
tion by lapse of time and wear, added to the power of
the fish against which it is to be employed, should be
used.

The thickness of leaders habitually used at the Range-
ly Lakes is simply preposterous. Heavier would not be
selected for a forty-pound salmon.

Among other reasons, these conclusions rest partly on
the following :

In June, 1883, with some other anglers I was in camp
in the Maine woods. The conversation turned on this
subject, and having seen the experiment tried, I said
that the strain of any trout could not by possibility
much exceed a pound. This statement was regarded by
some with so much surprise, that a trial was suggested.
A ten-foot hexagonal split-bamboo rod of my own make,
and quite stiff for a fly-rod, was used. Drawing with
this upon a spring-balance following up the bend of the
rod as a fish would do, with the hand holding the rod
9

180 Fly-rods aiid Fly-iackle.

and its butt away from the body, the strongest among the
half dozen, and he a man of muscle, could with his ut-
most effort — such an effort that the rod fairly quivered
— scarcely raise a strain of one and a quarter pounds.
He had caught many large fish, and frankly admitted
that he had never exerted any such force as that. We
all tried it, I among the number. The very next morn-
ing I took a trout which weighed five pounds and two
ounces, after a twenty minutes' fight. During this I
constantly had in mind the experiment of the preced-
ing evening, and I am confident that at no time did his
pull exceed half a pound. This was, however, in still
water.

During September of the same year a friend, using
quite a fine leader tested to four and a half pounds, fast-
ened a trout in still water but in a very dangerous
place. Not only did he hold him without yielding an
inch of line, but hung to him till his guide took the boat
into clear water, towing the fish after. It weighed four
and a half pounds.

I might multiply instances of this kind, but these seem
sufiicient.

Such were my views when this book originally went
to press. But that experiment is the touchstone of
theory cannot be too strongly impressed on the angling
mind. When brought face to face with an assumption
which we know is fallacious, we are very apt to run to
the other extreme, and this I did.

Salmon-fishing became very dull on the Moisie River by
the middle of July, 1887. As we were fixed there until the
21st, we turned our attention to the sea-trout. Not until
the 18th did we strike them in numbers; after that they
were sufficiently abundant to satisfy the most grasping.

Leaders. IBl

Upon the occasion hereinafter referred to the trout
averaged rather even in point of size, by far the greater
number ranging within half a pound one way or the
other of two pounds. Our largest was three pounds,
five ounces, while very few ran as small as one pound.
All were taken with the fly, the " Parmachenee Belle "
being the apparent favorite. A moderate current aided
the efforts of the struggling fish to escape. All were
fine, active fish.

On the 19th they were so abundant that it was quite
a matter of indifference whether they escaped after
taking the fly or not. The idea then suddenly occurred
to me that no better opportunity could present itself to
determine by actual experiment how much a trout could
pull. Many, myself among the number, had theorized
about this, but no one, so far as I knew, had ever sub-
jected his theory to actual experiment.

I was provided with a tested spring-balance graduated
to read to two ounces, by which a pretty accurate de-
termination to one ounce was possible. My first at-
tempts were made as follows : After fastening the fish,
the line was attached to the hook of the spring-balance
between the reel and the first ring. But it was soon
perceived that any result so obtained was modified by
the friction of the line through the rings and tip end of
the rod, and that by this method the object in view —
to ascertain the amount of strain which a trout of a
given size could impose on a leader — could be but im-
perfectly attained.

The following method was then adopted and persisted
in: After fastening a fish the rod was at once passed
to the bowman of the boat, while my gaffer and I seized
the line beyond the tip, one holding the fish so that

132 Fly-rods and Fly4acJde.

there would be slack line near the tip to enable the
other to fasten some part of this slack to the spring-
balance. After the connection was made the line was
released so as to bring all subsequent strain directly
upon the Bpring-balance.

The results were most provoking. Trout are pro-
verbially perverse, but it seemed to me as if I had never
in my expei:ience seen any so thoroughly imbued with
this abominable characteristic. To make the connection
with the spring-balance required time, and by the time
it was made the fish would either stop pulling alto-
gether or would pull with but a portion of the vigor it
had displayed while the line was being made fast.
Then we would try to stir them up by jerking on the
line. This generally produced the desired effect, but
by no means in the desired degree before the line had
been hauled in to such an extent as to make a fresh
connection with the spring-balance necessary. This
again took time, and when we were ready the fish
would again become comparatively quiescent. Then
we disconnected again, hauled the fish in, hand over
hand, fastened on the spring-balance once more, and
proceeded to stimulate the fish by poking it with the
handle of the landing-net. When fortune seemed to
smile on us it was in but a half-hearted fashion. Just
as we thought we had a result, the fish would break
away so that we could not complete the experiment by
determining his weight. With all the larger fish either
this was the case or we could not induce them to do
their best when we were in a position to record it.

For two days every fish I fastened was subjected to
this experiment. The indicator of the spring-balance
.was never at rest for an instant when the fish were pull-

Leaders. 138

ing against it, thus showing an incessantly varying
strain. They seemed to pull their best during some
portion of the time while the line was held when being
attached to the spring-balance for the first time. Rarely,
indeed, could one be induced even by the most savage
treatment to pull as hard again. The greatest effect
was produced when the fish darted off sidewise.

Of the many trials intimated above, in but four in-
stances were the results satisfactorily conclusive. The
following gives the strain in these four cases during the
most violent paroxysm of ^the fish, and, as far as I was
able to judge, measures quite accurately all that the in-
dividual fish described could do :

trout of 1 lb. 9 oz.

pulled 1 lb. 4 oz.

(t 1 '^ 1 "

12 "

u 1 u 11 u

u 1 « 5 "

u 1 " 9 "

" 1 " 8 "

But though these four cases were all that were suffi-
ciently conclusive to merit detailed report, many of the
others were more or less suggestive. The whole series
of experiments indicated that I had underestimated the
power of trout. I concluded that an active and enter-
prising trout in still water could impose, and that dur-
ing some part of its struggles for life it may for an in-
stant impose, on the leader which holds it a strain equal
to the trout's own weight, or a few ounces more in ex-
ceptional cases.

Obviously, this was not quite satisfactory, since the
initial strain, presumptively the most energetic, was, in
a measure, conjectural. To verify my conclusions a
somewhat protracted series of experiments were subse-

134 Fly-Toda and Fly4ackle.

qnently conducted in the following manner : One end
of a cord was fastened to the reel-line just beyond the
tip-ring, the other end leading to a spring-balance held
in my hand. Three or four feet of the reel-line were
drawn off and hung in a loop between my casting hand
and the reel. The moment a fish was fastened the rod
was pointed straight at the fish. Thus the initial strain
was almost instantly brought directly on the cord lead-
ing to the spring-balance. My notes on these experi-
ments have been lost or mislaid.

Fortunately the table given above was published in
the Forest and Stream^ which brought out some experi-
ments by a correspondent signing himself C. D. O.,
tried in substantially the manner indicated above. As
my recollection is that my results did not differ mate-
rially, it seems better to give his figures than to trust to
memory for my own. He first mentions some lake
trout caught with a hand-line when fishing through the
ice in winter, the line being so arranged that the spring-
balance could be hooked to a loop on the line the mo-
ment a fish was fastened. This, of course, gave the di-
rect strain without any possible complications arising
from the intervention of a rod. Though lake trout are
not brook trout, still their shape is not so dissimilar as
to render his figures other than interesting, to say the
least.

A lake trout of 1 lb. 2 oz. pulled 2 lb. 8 oz.

cc 2 '' 4 '^ '' 3 ^'

cc 1 '^ 2 ^' '' 1 '^ 8 '^

« 1 " 24 " « 2 " 4 "

a 2 '^ 1 " " 2 '' 4 ^'

t( 2 " 6 " " 1 " 12 "

Leaders. 186

With his appliances arranged as first indicated above :
In dead water of a swift stream :

A brook trout of lb. 10 oz. pulled 16 oz.

((

1 "

((

2 1b.

((

This last result, as well as the first in the preceding
table, is so far in excess of any in my own experiments,
that I mistrust an inadvertent error in the transcription
of the figures.
In pond fishing :

A brook trout of 12 oz. pulled 14 oz.

((

In rapid current :

A brook trout of 1 lb. 9 oz. pulled 2 lb.

" 2 " 2 " " 2 " 12 oz.

" 3 « " " 4 " 4 "

« " 12 " " 1 " 4 "

« 3 " 4 " " 6 " "

In " comparatively still water " :

A brook trout of 3 lb. 4 oz. pulled 4 lb. 8 oz.

The gentleman whose figures I have borrowed states
that he met the same difiiculty that I did in that the
index of his spring-balance was never at rest for a mo-

136 Fly-Tod% and Fly-tackle,

ment. That is, the strain varied every instant, causing
the index to vibrate incessantly up and down the scale
with such rapidity that the desired reading had to be
caught on the wing, so to speak.

To eliminate this uncertainty I devised a cheap and
simple automatic device which I intended to use to test
the power of salmon. In the hurry of packing for my
next salmon trip the device was overlooked, and in
the next-following trip it was lost overboard by one of
my men while arranging it for its first use. Subse-
quently other matters took up my attention, so that it
was not replaced. For the benefit of those who may
wish further to investigate this question, I will describe
this arrangement.

A spiral spring about a foot long and three-quarters
of an inch in exterior diameter, the coils of which were
in close contact with one another, was bought for a few
cents at a hardware store. The terminal wires of this
spring were each formed into a closed eye. To one of
these eyes, which we will call the " fish-eye " for the
sake of a name, a cord was to be attached leading to
the fishing-line, to which it was to be fastened beyond
the rod. To the other eye, which we will call the
"reel-eye," was attached a strong cord to hold the
spring against the pull of the fish. Thus, in action, the
fish would pull upon the fish-end of the spring, while
the reel-end was h^ld fast. This would stretch the
spring, elongating it more or less in proportion to the
strain imposed.

Clearly, if after we were rid of the fish, and provided
the spring had not been stretched beyond its elastic
limit — which could be ascertained at once by noting
whether the coils of the spring were in their original

Leaders. 137

close contact or not — it would require exactly the same
strain to again extend the spring to the same length.
It is also equally clear that this strain could be reap-
plied, and, at the same time, be measured by a spring-
balance. Therefore the point to be automatically reg-
istered was simply this : how far had the spring been
pulled out — that is, how much had it been elongated ?
Now suppose we fasten across the last coil at the reel-
end of the spring a piece of wood or brass with a small
hole through it in line with the axis of the spring. Now
let us thread a string — which we will call the "meas-
uring-cord " — ^through this hole, and leading it length-
wise inside the spring, fasten it firmly to the fish -end of
the spring. The cord must so fit the hole in the brass
or wood, that while it may easily be pulled through it
in either direction, it will stay where it is left.

The result will be that, when the spring is stretched
out, the measuring-cord is pulled through the hole in the
wood or brass at the reel-end of the spring. When the
strain is removed and the spring returns to its original
length, the measuring-cord wiH not repass the hole, but
fold up inside the spring. Now if we mark the meas-
uring-cord just outside the hole by nipping it there in
a split-stick, or tying a different-colored string tight
around it, we can then pull out as much of the measur-
ing-cord as is inside the spring, iapply a spring-balance
to the fish-end of the spring and pull the spring out till
the measuring-cord is drawn through its hole to the
same point as before. The spring will then have been
elongated to the same extent as before, the strain re-
quired to do this can be read from the spring-balance,
and we know just how much the fish really pulled at
its maximum effort.

188 Fly-rod^ cmd FlytacUe.

This device, as I have described it, was intended for
salmon. A much weaker and smaller spring should be
used for trout.

Of course, in actual fishing, the spring of the rod, the
click of the reel, and the friction of the line through the
rings in running out all operate as safety-valves, so that
the fish pulls against a yielding resistance and is not
permitted to match its full strength against that of the
leader. Still, some definite knowledge of the actual
strength of trout is of interest, even though it need not
be overcome in its entirety in actual fishing.

Therefore, a reasonably fine leader, taking into con-
sideration the circumstances under which it is to be
used, but of strictly first-class material, is recommended.
Test it frequently. See to it that it never be bent when
dry, and especially that no one step on it whether dry
or wet — an accident quite likely to happen when mount-
ing the rod at the beginning, or taking it apart at the
conclusion of a day's fishing.

Remember it is the large fish that exact the penalty
for negligence of this kind. There is no medicine for a
mind stricken by such a loss and so caused. Over most
misfortunes time kindly draws the veil of oblivion, but
this wound never cicatrizes. I meet one gentleman fre-
quently, but never, if angling is mentioned, does he fail
to mourn over an eight - pounder he lost through the
breaking of his leader years ago. This may be because
of the sharp contrast any serious misfortune presents to
the generally unalloyed happiness of angling, but what-
ever is the cause, the fact remains that such mishaps
dwell in the recollection long after every other associated
incident is forgotten.

Therefore I repeat, test your leaders carefully, and be

Leaders. 189

sure they are up to your work ; but do not seek this re-
Bnlt by using a cable where a thread is adequate, but by
care in selection of material, care in manufacture, and
care in preservation. If you do this you will never
lose a fish from this cause ; if you do not, no matter
how large the gut you may employ, it will sooner or
later play you false.

140 Fly-rod^ and Fly-tacJcU.

CHAPTER V.

REBL&

HowevbH useful the later forms of reel, which can
be changec^ from a click to a multiplier at will, may be
where casting the minnow is the usual, and casting the
fly the exijieptional method of fishing, all the authorities
agree thai for fly-fishing pure and simple a plain click-
reel is thjb best.

The a^ool, or part on which the line is wound, should
be quit^ narrow — say from one-half to three-quarters of
an inc)i wide. The narrower this is, the less attention
need be given to the distribution of the line on the spool
when/ reeling in. With a wide reel the line, unless
watcned, has a tendency to bunch in one place. From
this bunch dome of the lateral coils slip oft sideways,
and thus become loose; these become involved with
the succeeding turns of the line, which then fouls and
refuses to render. This state of affairs is not only very
annoying, but it is also exceedingly dangerous ; since,
should this happen when any fish of a size the angler
would regret to lose is fast, something will probably
break and the fish escape.

Another point of importance is the handle of the reel.
This should be so arranged that when the line is drawn
from the reel preparatory to the back cast, the loop so
formed will find no point of attachment on the handle,
should it be accidentally thrown over it; for if this

Beds. 141

happens and the line catches, the reel is locked and the
line will not render. An ordinary unprotected crank-
handle, therefore, should never be allowed on a reel for
fly-fishing. Two preventive methods are in use : first,
using a mere button attached to a circular plate for a
handle ; and second, protecting the ordinary crank-handle
by providing, the side plate with a flange, thus forming a
recess within which the handle revolves. The object is to
prevent the slack line from passing between the plate and
the crank. Either of these methods accomplishes this
purpose ; while, should the line pass over the handle, its
shape is such that the line slips off, and thus disengages
itself automatically.

Another desideratum in a reel for fly-fishing is that
the click should be as light as possible, yet offer sufii-
cient resistance to prevent the reel from overrunning.
The friction of the line through the rings and in the
water is quite enough, when supplemented by rather a
feeble click, to impose sufficient load upon the fish. It
is however a matter of the first importance that the line
be at all times solidly wound upon the reel, since other-
wise snarls will occur and the line refuse to render —
always at the most inopportune moment. With too
light a click the reel is apt to overrun a little every
time the line is drawn out, and this danger cannot be
avoided.

No music is so sweet to the angler's ear as the whirr
of the reel, for it announces not only the triumph of his
individual skill in tempting the fish to forget their habit-
ual caution, but it promises the pleasure of, and a happy
issue to, the coming contest. Therefore I prefer one
which speaks with a crisp, clear voice, •though of course
this is of no practical value beyond increasing the pleas-

142

Fly-rods and Fly-taclde,

ure of him that uses it; hut this it does, at least in my
own case, to no small degree.

This portion of the reel should be well made, for the
wear-and-tear upon it is great. The spring, pawl, and
click-wheel should all be made of tempered steel ; while
the pivot upon which the pawl vibrateis should be sup-
ported above as well as below the pawl, or no man can
tell when it will give out and refuse to act. To say
nothing of the tangles of line due to the reel overrun-
ning, and the annoyance and danger which follow the
disability of this part, to one who is accustomed to its
voice, a sense as though a friend were stricken dumb
follows, when it should, yet does not speak.

It is to be regretted that the old method of placing
the parts which compose the click within a box upon the
outside of the reel has gone out of fashion. Then these
were open to inspection and adjustment both by mak-
er and purchaser, and they
were well and durably made.
Now, but too frequently, the
pawl is merely secured by a
headed pin on which the
pawl works, which pin has
no support except what it
derives from the insertion
of one end into the side
plate. This is totally in-
adequate to withstand for
any length of time the rack-
ing to which it will be sub-
ject, and to use such a reel is
but to invite misfortune. No part of an angler's outfit
should be more absolutely above suspicion, since, with

Fig.S9.

Eeels. 143

the facilities commonly at hand, an accident here is be-
yond immediate repair, and unless another reel can be
liad, the pleasure of his trip if not altogether ruined, is
much impaired.

The preceding illustration shows how this part should
be constructed. A is the click-wheel, which should be
of hardened steel. The axle of the spool is squared to
receive the wheel which fits on this square, and is there
secured by a large-headed screw, a. Thus this part is a
fixture, and cannot by possibility get adrift. The spring,
J?, is rigidly secured to the side of the reel by two screws,
and should be actually tempered and not made from
wire or metal which owes its elasticity solely to rolling,
as is too often the case. C is the pawl working on a
pivot, both ends of which are secured, the lower in a hole
in the plate itself, and the upper in the cap, D, This
latter is fastened to the plate by two screws as shown.
Here it is plain nothing can get out of order; and this
was the usual method when reels were provided with an
exterior box in which the working parts were enclosed.
This box, however, was usually made so unnecessarily
large as to be unsightly, while the reels themselves were
inconveniently wide. Consequently these were super-
seded in popularity by a narrower reel, of that form in
which the working parts constituting the click are placed
between one side of the spool and its adjacent side plate.

Though some reels of this form are well ms^de in this
respect, still by far the greater part are not; and brass
click-wheels and brass pawls inadequately supported, and
wire springs riveted to the side plate of the reel, are
the usual components of the click. Of course brass is
totally unfit as a material for parts destined to such se-
vere usage, and cannot wear for any length of time.

144 FVy-Tods cmd Fh/4ac1de,

These defects only become apparent in actual use on the
stream, to the utter demoralization of the angler. There-
fore a reel so made should be rejected; and that such
should not be bought unawares, the dealer should be
questioned as to how the click is made, or the buyer
should insist that the reel be taken apart. Indeed, if
he does not already know how to do this, he should
insist on being shown, since annual cleaning, oiling, etc.,
will be advisable, and he should be able to do this with-
out injury to the reel by experimental efforts directed to
this end.

Another objection to the reel as at present made,
though by no means so serious, is the smallness of the
axle on which the line is wound. This seldom exceeds
the diameter of an ordinary lead-pencil. Thus at first
hardly an inch of line is taken up to a complete revolu-
tion of the spool, while it is always retrieved with a
slowness neither desirable nor necessary. Some seek to
overcome this by first enlarging the axle with ordinary
twine, upon which the line is then wound, others by
using multiplying or automatic reels.

The illustration on the following page shows the form
of reel I make for my own use, and it is the best in prin-
ciple of which I have knowledge.

' In this reel each side of the spool is cast separately.
These are faced off on the inner sides, soft-soldered to-
gether, and six holes equally spaced are drilled through
both. Thus these holes correspond exactly. I then
unsolder the sides. Then six short wires (a a a in the
diagram) are made of this form,

and by inserting the smaller ends ^-

in the holes, and soft -soldering, and then riveting the
ends down, the sides of the spool are rigidly and per-

Reds.

145

manently joined together. It is then finished as though
it were one single piece. The line is then fastened to
one of these wires, and the first revolution of the han-
dle takes in about four inches of line. All the click
machinery is contained in the box, B, The handle. Ay

Fig. 80.

is attached to an ordinary crank, united to the shaft
by a square bearing and secured by a screw. The
flange, Cy covers the crank, and prevents the line from
fouling it.

Automatic reels in which a spring is coiled by with-
drawing the line, and the reaction of which is supposed
to retrieve it, have been made and are upon the market.
10

146 Fly-roda cmd Fly-tdcJde.

I have never use4 one, but the reports that I receive
from those who have, do not bias me in their favor.
Irrespective of the question of whether they do or do not
do in practice what is claimed for them in theory, they
certainly, if good for anything, greatly reduce the margin
for skill and judgment on the part of the angler, and
tend in my opinion to degrade the art to the level of
pot-fishing.

Of what material the reel should be composed remains
to be considered. Brass and german-silver, or these metals
combined with celluloid or rubber, are usually employed
and give good results. I prefer an all metal reel, since
metal affords a more substantial hold to the fastenings
of the click-machinery than rubber or celluloid. The lat-
ter save weight, but I do not consider this as important
as some do in trout-fishing, where the reel is habitually
located below the hand. A moderate weight helps to
counterpoise the rod, and thus overcome the leverage of
the longer portion against the angler ; and we all know
it is this leverage, rather than the actual weight of the
rod, which causes fatigue.

Reels made of aluminum have been on the market
and were at one time popular, particularly with those
who had never used them, on the ground that they
saved weight. This they undoubtedly did. But when
this has been said, all that can be said in their favor has
been said.

When this metal cost in the neighborhood of a dollar
and a quarter an ounce and few were practically famil-
iar with its characteristics, great hope was entertained
of its future utility, could but a cheap method of pro-
duction be discovered. This has been done, and, thanks
to the electric furnace, aluminum can now be had in

Reels, 147

any quantity and in almost any form at less than fifty
cents a pound.

Nor were these hopes without reason. Its low spe-
cific gravity, but two and seven-tenths heavier than
water, and its wide distribution, being the third most
abundant of the elements, justified great expectations.
It had been on the market but a short time as a com-
mercial product when I heard it characterized by one
of the most eminent chemists of Europe as ^^ the metal
of disappointment."

For reels, at all events, it is a wretched metal. It is
little harder than zinc, and consequently wholly unfit
for the bearings for the axle of the spool of the reel. It
can be soldered only with difiSculty, and then not well
soldered. Unless some method has been recently dis-
covered, it cannot be electro-plated. It is very sensitive
to alkaline solutions, sea water, and perspiration. It is
miserable, stuff to turn, drill, and tap, and chokes up
files in an exasperating manner. I have made four reels
of it, bushing the bearings for the axle of the spool
with steel collars, and nearly broke my heart over them.
After giving it up in despair a dozen times, I finally
succeeded in blackening the outside plates with plati-
num bichloride. As long as they were kept in lavender,
so to speak, they seemed to receive unqualified praise
from my angling friends. But if rained on in the after-
noon, they were covered the next morning with a white
efillorescence disgusting to see.

In brief, as a reel-material aluminum merits little
consideration.

But if alone and by itself aluminum is of little value
to the angler, its alloys with copper are quite another
matter. That composed of ninety parts of copper and

148 Fly-rods and Fly-tackle.

ten parts of aluminum some authorities assert to be the
most rigid metal known. It is of a red-gold color, tar-
nishes with reluctance, is somewhat lighter than brass
or german-silver, and will solder. For reels and rod-
trimmings, now that it should be cheaper than german-
silver, it seems well worthy serious consideration.

All are agreed that the reel for a single-handed fly-rod
should be located below the hand, but there is some dif-
ference of opinion as to whether it should be at the ex-
treme butt or farther up. If at the extreme butt, it is
claimed to counterbalance the longer portion of the rod
more efliciently, and for this reason it is generally there
placed. For small fish this unquestionably answers well.
But no man can stand the continued strain of playing a
large fish at arm's-length. The butt is tj;ien supported
against the body, and if the reel is located too low down,
a blow in the stomach is received from the hand at every
revolution of the reel-handle. For this reason it is my
practice to secure the reel by inserting one end of the
reel-plate under a band just below the hand, instead of
below the butt-cap itself, fastening the other end by a
sliding band in the usual manner. I then reduce the
length of that part of the handle appropriated to the
reel as much as possible, and yet retain sufiicient length
to insure convenient manipulation of the reel when the
butt is supported against the body.

For the benefit of such as make their own reels, I give
the following method of tempering the spring, taught
me by one of the best tool-makers in this country. With
nothing beyond the same verbal instructions here given
to guide me, I have never failed to produce a spring of
apparently perfect temper.

Having turned and filed my spring out of a plate of

Reds. 149

the best obtainable steel, about ^ of an inch thick, and
drilled the screw holes, I next polish out every trans-
verse scratch. After hardening the spring in water in
the usual way, I heat some sperm-oil in a small vessel
until it takes fire. Securing my spring to a wire, I sub-
merge it in the burning oil until I think both are at the
same temperature, and then withdraw it, ignite the ad-
hering oil, and allow it to bum off. Having repeated
this three times, I immediately swing it around my head
until it is cold.

150 Fly-rods and Fly-tackle.

CHAPTER VL

RODS AND ROD MATERIAL,

In no matter pertaining to the art of fly-fishing is
there such discordance of opinion as in regard to the
proper action and balance of the rod. In nothing does
the old adage '^ what is one man's meat is another man's
poison*' more fully apply.

The lengths preferred by different anglers, all thor-
oughly experienced and skilled, vary in about the same
proportion as do the noses on their respective faces.

Perhaps the extreme limits now used in this coun-
try lie between twelve feet and eight feet six inches.
Abroad, until recently, twelve feet was considered rather
a short rod. Here the tendency is decidedly to shorten
and lighten the rod, and those of eleven feet will even
now only be found in the hands of veterans, in whose
ideas change finds no place.

The American angler regards the fly-fishing outfit of
our transatlantic cousins with mingled admiration and
surprise — ^admiration for the filmy leader and the ex-
quisite flies — ^but astonishment approaching almost to
incredulity at the engine with which these are said to be
propelled. The rod and the tackle seem to him utterly
incongruous, like wedding a man of eighty-five to a girl
of sixteen.

Francis Francis, in his book on '^Angling," gives a
table of the length and weight of four single-handed

Bods and Rod Material. 151

fly-rods, which he evidently regards as about the proper
thing, as follows :

Maker. Weight Lengtb.

1. Oould 13 ounces 12 drachms. 12 feet 8 inches.

2. Cheek 14 " 6 " 11 " 7 "

8. Bownee 18 " 4 " 11 " 8 "

4. Aldred 13 " 8 " 12 " 4} "

No wonder he recommends that a double-handed rod
should be used in preference to a single-handed, giving
the following, among other reasons, for his preference :
'^But to fish a whole day with a single-handed rod is
very trying to the forearm, and more particularly to the
grasp of the right hand. Many a time has my hand and
arm ached so after a long spell of casting, that I have
been compelled to leave off to rest them."

It would be indeed surprising were this not so. After
all, what are we after — what is the end in view? It is
not merely obtaining possession of the fish, for that re-
sult can be had at far less cost and much greater certain-
ty with a silvjer hook in the fish-market. Recreation and
amusement are the objects anglers seek — British and
American alike ; and therefore it seems reasonable to
conclude, that whatever methods and whatever appliances
best conduce to these results, are the best in themselves
even though the total catch be a little diminished thereby.

Should this n^eet the eye of a British angler, let me
recommend him to try one of our rods — or one there
made on our plan, say ten or even eleven feet long,
and from six to even nine ounces in weight. And if
from some local peculiarity of fish or water, of which
we are ignorant and cannot imagine, this does somewhat
diminish his total catch, still we believe the increased
comfort and pleasure the use of such a rod must afford

152 Fly-rods mid Fly-tackle.

over the poles of the preceding table, will induce a will-
ing consent to the sacrifice.

While the foregoing was as true when written in 1883
as any such sweeping generalization is likely to be, the
logic of events has since caused the English practice to
approximate much more nearly to our own. I have
seen numbers of English rods in the last five years,
which, except perhaps in the matter of ferrules and
mountings, would in all respects meet the approval of
any American angler.

There is no doubt that the tendency of late years in
this country has been to still further shorten and lighten
the rod. But reason should have weight in all things
of this kind — at first progressive reason, later conserva-
tive reason. The one favors change ; the other opposes
further change when the limit of reasonable change in
that direction has been reached. Now, has not this
limit been reached, or perhaps even somewhat over-
passed, in the eight-foot, three-and-a-half -ounce rods one
now sees in our larger tackle-shops ? In fishing quick
water, where the current always straightens the line,
and the conditions thus favor the back cast, where there
is no wind or a favorable wind, where the leader is of
the thinnest and the files very small, and where a half-
pound trout is about the limit of reasonable expectation,
they may do pretty well. When confined to such a
sphere of action I do not know that there is anything
to be said against them, beyond that the user would
probably take more fish with a somewhat longer and
more potent rod.

But on slack water, or in the open where the winds
of heaven have full play, the use of such rods not only
almost hopelessly handicaps the angler, but is a positive

Bods and Rod Material. 158

source of danger to him. Twice in my angling experi-
ence have I been obliged to cut a hook, fastened there
on the back cast, from the face of a companion who
considered the use of a feather-weight rod a point of
honor. It is astonishing how tough at least some of
the muscles of the face are. In both cases I stripped
the fly from the hook and endeavored to bring out the
point and draw the rest of the hook through, but, after
applying all the force I dared, was obliged to resort to
the knife, for fear of breaking off the hook in the flesh.

It seems to me, therefore, that the sphere of the feath-
er-weight rod is confined to rapid sheltered streams ; and
this not only for the reasons already stated, but because
its lifting power for the back cast is less than a more
potent rod. A rapid current may be made in part to
neutralize this difficulty, since if, when it is time for the
back cast, the line be allowed to run down stream to its
full extent and then checked until the force of the cur-
rent has thrown the flies to the surface, the whole lifting
power of the rod is available for the back cast. Of course,
on water having little or no current this cannot be done.

As to the action preferred in a fly-rod, even greater dis-
cordance of opinion is found. One likes a rod stiff as a
poker for the lower third, and withy for the remainder
of its length. Another will look at nothing not stiff in
butt and tip, and sloppy in the middle joint. A third
must have plenty of action in the butt, and not much
elsewhere ; a fourth uniform action from the handle to
the tip, but quite stiff withal ; a fifth the same general
spring, but great flexibility; and so on to the end of the
chapter. Therefore the writer, when he describes what a
fly-rod should be, gives but his own peraonal preference,
from which many a better angler will dissent.

154 Fly-rods and Fly4aclde,

All will admit that comfort in use, efficiency in casting
the fly, and power to control and land the fish after it is
fastened, are the desiderata ; strength to withstand the
incidental strain, and elasticity to recover on the removal
of the deflection caused thereby, being in all cases pre-
sumed.

It needs no Sir Isaac Newton to assure us that with
two rods of equal weight, and respectively ten and twelve
feet long, the former will occasion far less fatigue than
the latter; since, while the shorter arm of the lever is
equal in both cases, the longer arm, which is to do the
work, is greater in the latter. Nay, further, even though
the shorter rod exceed in actual weight, still it may re-
tain its advantage in this respect.

The importance of this consideration to one who at-
tempts to cast from early mom to dewy eve, as does
every fisherman whose days on the stream are few and
far between, cannot well be exaggerated. Whether the
latter half of the day shall be a toil or a pleasure, is de-
termined thereby.

As to efficiency in casting the fly, certainly none of
the hundreds who witnessed the fly-casting tournament
at Central Park, in New York City, on October 16, 1883,
and saw a fly cast eighty-five feet with a ten-foot rod
weighing only four and three-eighths ounces, will ques-
tion the ability of a ten-foot rod of six and a half to
seven ounces to meet all reasonable expectations in
this resj)ect. To those who are unfamiliar with these
events, it may be remarked that the caster stands on a
platform one foot above the water, built out at a right
angle to, and about thirty feet distant from the shore.
The contestants thus cast parallel with the shore, and
beside a rope supported by small floats placed five feet

Rods cmd Rod Material. 155

apart. To the floats marking each ten feet, appropri-
ately numbered tin tags are attached, indicating the dis-
tance from the edge of the platform. The weight and
length of each of the competing rods is accurately ascer-
tained, and the divisions on the rope are verified by the
judges before the contest takes place.

The spectators occupy the bank, while the judges note
the results from a boat on the other side of the rope, the
boat being moved to and fro as circumstances require.
The distance between the edge of the platform and where
the tail-fly strikes the water is taken as the length of the
cast. A possible error of eighteen inches in the deter-
mination of this would be a very liberal allowance.

Killing power, and the ability to control the move-
ments of the fish in those delicious moments which sep-
arate the rise from the capture of the victim, depend
not on the length, but on the power of the rod; and this,
other things being equal, must be greater in a ten than
in a twelve foot rod, since the leverage against the con-
trolling power is less.

Induced by these considerations, and confirmed by prac-
tical experience with rods from twelve feet six inches to
nine feet eight inches in length, the writer is fixed in the
belief that ten feet is an ample length for any single-
handed fly-rod, and that with it any fish of any weight
within the scope of a single-handed fly-rod, can be as
successfully enticed and more easily overcome than with
a rod of greater length. If we add to this the difference
of comfort in the use of the one over the other, the ques-
tion may well be asked, why does any one who knows
his business neglect to avail himself of these manifest ad-
vantages. Is there no flaw in your premises — no error in
your conclusions? Dear reader, I sincerely believe both

156 Fhf^ods (md Fly-taclde,

to be sound; nor can I doubt either, unless at the sam^
time I call in question the most elementary principles of
natural philosophy, and the testimony of my own eyes.

I believe the sole reason why a rod of over eleven feet
is to-day found in the hands of any experienced angler
in this country, is that it became his when the art was
younger than it now is, or when he was younger in it;
that he has grown accustomed to its use, and that he has
lacked the opportunity or inclination to try, or is un-
willing to undergo the expense of a shorter and lighter
rod.

One advantage, however, should in fairness be accred-
ited to the longer rod, and, as far as I can learn from the
teachings of theory and practice, it is the only one. In
fishing for the small trout of much-fished waters, so hand-
ling the flies that the droppers just dap upon the surface
undoubtedly gives the best result. It is clear the length
of cast can be more varied without losing this advantage
with a longer, than with a shorter rod. Still, by adjust-
ing the flies on the leader at somewhat increased inter-
vals, it is believed that the disadvantage of the shorter
rod in this respect becomes slight, and by no means suffi-
cient to offset its other and decided points of superiority.

Again and again has the writer seen anglers visit the
Rangely region of Maine (where brook-trout grow to a
size elsewhere unknown), armed with a longer and a short-
er rod. There, if anywhere, the longer rod should find
its fitting place, and with the truth of that opinion firmly
in mind has the new-comer prepared himself. With the
longer rod he intends to do the greater part of his fish-
ing, while confining the shorter solely to picking up a
few of the little fellows on the smaller streams. And
what is the result? It follows as surely as the wrong-

Rods and Rod Material. 157

doer goes from bad to worse. The longer rod is less
and less frequently used, until it is altogether discarded
for its shorter rival ; and this not " with malice afore-
thought," but in natural obedience to the logic of events.

However these things may be, this at least is certain :
to one escaping but seldom from the weary routine of
office-work, to swing even a seven-ounce rod all day may
become a burden, while to him whose muscles are braced
by abundant exercise and robust health it seems but as
a feather's weight. The truth is, that there is in this
matter no hard and fast line where dogmatism may take
its stand and say, this is right and that is vyrong. Let
each use that rod which to him affords the most pleasure,
and for him that rod is the best, whether it be forty feet
long or only two.

When the fly-rod is under discussion, we not unfre-
quently hear it urged, as the highest of encomiums, that
some particular rod can be so bent with safety that the
tip will touch the butt. This has a very imposing sound,
well-calculated to impress the unthinking; but like many
other statements equally impressive, it will well bear a
little investigation.- If the prime object and sphere of
usefulness of a fly-rod was to tickle the butt with the
tip, there would be nothing to be said. But this is not
the case. To cast the fly with fluency and precision,
and without a sense of dread in the caster when his line
exceeds the length of his rod, lest on the back cast he
fasten his flies in his own ears — this, and the power to
control at will the course of the struggling fish with an
implement adequate to any possible emergency, yet im-
posing on its user not one ounce of superfluous labor —
these are the desiderata in a fly-rod. Every material
has its elastic limit. Keep within this, and anything

158 Fly-rods and Fly4ackle,

will serve the purpose ; exceed it, and the very best
fails. A strip of the weakest pine can be so reduced in
thickness as to successfully pass this vaunted test. It is
absolutely no indication whatever of the strength and
elasticity of the material of which a rod is composed,
unless at the same time its length and calibre are taken
into the account. To the judicious, therefore, a state-
ment of this kind not only utterly fails to convince him
of the excellence of the rod in question, but even raises
in his mind a strong presumption that every quality of
real value has been sacrificed, for what he will hardly fail
to think is a catchpenny purpose. There are good rods
with which this may be done, but in my judgment they
would have been far better, and practically much more
agreeable and efficient in use, had they been given suffi-
cient "backbone" to render this impossible. I have
stood upon a boom of logs, and, with a split-bamboo of
some eight ounces weight, successfully withstood every
effort of a freshly fastened four-and-a-half-pound trout,
in the full vigor of perfect health, to regain the shelter
from which he had been seduced by the delusive fly.
The rod bent under, and recovered from each fresh ef-
fort, as we sometimes see the water-level fluctuate in
the glass gauge of a steam-boiler — the resistance always
in exact equilibrium with the pressure upon it. The
tip never came near the butt, though at times perhaps
nearly upon the same level; nor was this a very stiff rod,
nor one with which casting was other than a pleasure.
The truth is, the ultimate strain which a fish can impose
is grossly exaggerated in public opinion, as we have en-
deavored to show elsewhere. A firm, but above all things
a steady pressure, the most vigorous of them strive in
vain successfully to resist. The result for some time

Mods a/nd Rod Material, 159

may fluctuate in the balance, but the angler's pan, acci-
dents excepted, invariably proves the heavier at last.

Probably a decent fly-rod will bear with impunity a
steady strain, considerably in excess of anything under
which the angler can hold it up. The proximate cause
why rods fail in actual fly-fishing is not always free
from obscurity. The angle which the line bears to the
rod when the strain is applied, or in other words the di-
rection of the strain with relation to the axis of the rod,
is unquestionably an important factor. If the line and
the rod form one straight line, the tensile strength of
the material under a direct pull is alone involved; while,
if the line and the rod are approximately parallel, the
strain assumes many of the characteristics of a shock,
the rod has not time to bend and thus distribute the
load it cannot bear when localized, and it fails. I was
fishing with a friend from an extemporized raft anchored
before the outlet of a lake, into the mouth of which we
were casting. It was a time and place for large trout,
and we had been having fine sport. For some twenty
minutes we had not had a rise, so we concluded to have
a quiet smoke, and rest the water for a while. He had
a rod of my own make, quite new, the butt and middle
joint of thoroughly tested and approved greenheart.
He turned to me for some purpose, the rod perpendicu-
lar, and his fly resting on the water not three feet from
him. Suddenly a splendid trout, a little whale in dig-
nity of size, rose from under the raft and seized that fly.
The middle joint shivered as though struck by light-
ning. It was no transverse strain that could produce
such a break. The upper part seemed driven down on
that below it, until at the point of fracture it first split
the wood, and then scattered it outward in a shower of

leo Fly-Tods wnd Fly4ac1de.

splinters. It is unnecessary to inform the expert that
the trout at once unhooked itself and escaped. How
they almost invariably accomplish this little trick under
such circumstances, is another of those dark mysteries
which overshadow our art.

But not to this, or to like causes, can wc attribute
many of the accidents which fall under the angler's no-
tice. It is notorious that rods are usually broken on
small, rather than on large fish, and this, too, after they
have again and again withstood strains apparently far
more onerous. Who has not seen a rod, the pride of its
owner and the victor in many a hot struggle, fail in some
part under the mere stress of casting ? Such breaks, as
far as my observation enables me to speak, are sharply
transverse, as though the material had been subjected to
a shearing strain. An effort has been made to account
for this on the theory that a wave of vibration starting
from the lower, meets another on the way from the up-
per part of the rod, and that the shock of the encounter
is the destructive cause. I cannot say that I have ever
been able to detect the existence of any such waves. I
suppose the theory requires them to be something like
those which meet in the middle of a rope or cloth,
sharply and simultaneously shaken at both ends. We
all know the sudden kick, so to speak, to which this gives
rise, an impulse not perhaps inadequate to produce the
result in question. Though I have a constitutional dis-
trust of theories based on uncertain premises, still I am
unable to suggest any more plausible explanation; or,
as yet, to devise any experiment adequate to determine
its truth or falsity, or point out the actual cause.

If this theory be sound, then double-actioned rods
should be more liable to fracture under these circum-

Rods <md Rod Material. 161

stances than single-actioned rods, and limber rods than
stiff rods — and this I believe to be the fact. I have
never known it to happen to rods of my make, which
are of the stiffish single-actioned variety ; still this may
be due to good-luck, rather than the correctness of their
principle of construction.

What material will make the best fly-rod ?

As to this, too, as indeed in regard to most other im-
plements of the art, there is considerable difference of
opinion.

SPLIT-BAMBOO.

QniMt'ifin «««:*» . fSix-8trip hexagonal, rind outside, 0.9915.
apecmc graviiy . -^Four.gtrip square, rind inside, 0.9678.

In the estimation of the American fly-flsherman as a
class, the rent and glued, or as it is now more generally
termed, the split-bamboo rod, unquestionably ranks first.

The bamboo may be said to be a production of Asia
and the contiguous islands, though abundant in South
America, where some species not indigenous have been
introduced and now flourish. North of Mexico but one
native species is found, and the same is true of Africa,
while Burope has not even one.

In Col. Monroe's monograph on this grass, published
in the proceedings of the Linnsean Society, vol. xxvi., one
hundred and seventy distinct species are described, and
he says there are many more, the flower of which he has
never seen, and which he is therefore unable to classify.
For it may be said to be a common, if not general, pecul-
iarity of this plant, that it flowers but once, and that
after years of growth, and then dies. This occurs si-
multaneously through large districts, and is followed by
the production of an edible seed, which has not unfre-

16^ J^y^ods cmd Fly4aclde.

quently averted a famine among the swarming popula-
tion of those countries of which it is a native, when
other crops have been blighted. Notwithstanding the
length of time which precedes maturity and the pro-
duction of its flower and seed, its growth is extremely
rapid. At the seat of the Duke of Devonshire one is
reported to have grown forty feet in forty days, while
instances are on record of from two to two and a half
feet in a single day. But such at least as is generally
exported is not allowed to attain maturity, but is cut
annually while still green, the succeeding crop springing
up as shoots from the still living roots.

Which of these many varieties is best adapted to our
purpose may safely be said to be unknown. Species
attaining a height of one hundred and fifty feet, a diame-
ter of fifteen to eighteen inches, and an interval of " sev-
eral feet " between the nodes or joints, are known. I
have myself seen varieties of small diameter perfectly
solid throughout, and as stiff and elastic as tempered
steel. The veteran rod-maker Mr. William Mitchell, of
New York City, showed me a solid joint but little less
than half an inch in diameter planed from a single piece
' of bamboo. A bow of South American origin came
into his possession, apparently of bamboo, yet colored
so as to leave this in some doubt. Upon removing the
exterior this surmise was found to be correct; and
though the bow was six feet long, not the slightest in-
dication of a node or knot could be detected. From
this he planed the joint in question. While this was
not as stiff as a hexagonal joint of similar size, made in
the ordinary manner, would have been, still it was nearly
if. not quite equal to the ordinary run of greenheart,
and would make most excellent rod material could it

Hods a/iid Rod Material. 163

but be had. An experience of my own with large bam-
boo is mentioned hereafter in this chapter.

The strength and elasticity of bamboo depends abnost
altogether on the character of its exterior, the inner or
pithy portion adding but little thereto. In the variety
commonly used, within perhaps one-sixteenth of an inch
measured from the outside lie all its virtues. In the
larger varieties (or at least some of them, as my expe-
rience proves) this portion is very much thicker, as would
be expected from the far greater thickness of the walls
of the cane. If, therefore, rods were made from such
cane, these would possess far greater strength and far
more stiffness and elasticity than those of the present
day, if of like dimensions. The diameter and consequent
weight could then be considerably reduced, not only
without loss, but still leaving considerable gain in these
respects. Again, the process of manufacture would be
much simplified, since the bamboos now used rarely reach
two inches in diameter at the butt. This renders the
exterior quite rounding, and it cannot be flattened with-
out ruining it at the same time. Consequently the cane
resting on this convex surface tends to roll more or less
under the cutting tool, affecting the accuracy of the
angle if not carefully watched. From my own expe-
rience, I should say that three times the skill was re-
quired to make a good six-strip joint from bamboo one
and three-quarter inches in diameter, than from that of
four or five inches. The waste would also be much less,
since defects in the cuticle now fatal, would then be of
comparatively little consequence.

There are few fields in which more of benefit to the
angling fraternity may be hoped from investigation
than this. The burden would seem fairly to fall upon

164 Fly-rods a/nd Fly4ac1de,

the English portion of the brotherhood, since under their
flag the investigation must be carried on. If not unrea-
sonable, it is at any rate useless to expect this from the
professional rod-maker. He either lacks opportunity, or
for business reasons keeps his information to himself.
It is to be hoped that some of the many English gentle-
men now in India, who are interested in fly-fishing, and
who may be favorably circumstanced in that vast coun-
try, will investigate, and give the angling world some
definite information on this subject.

Rapid and unceasing as is communication at the pres-
ent time between the remotest parts of the world, it is
singular, and not very creditable, how vague is the in-
formation now obtainable in reference to rod material.

The variety of bamboo of which split-bamboo fly-rods
are made, is here known as the '^ Calcutta bamboo." Its
botanical name is believed to be Banibuaa Arundina-
cea. From other varieties it may be distinguished by
the charred marks on its yellow cuticle, without which
none seems to be imported into this country. If this is
the variety, it may, if permitted to grow, attain a height
of from forty to fifty feet, and a diameter of about three
inches.

No one in the least familiar with this bamboo can
have failed to remark these bums, always present yet
never alike. To the split-bamboo rod-maker they are a
perfect nuisance, forcing him to reject altogether many
a cane otherwise excellent. So every one, surprised that
so much labor should be expended merely, as far as is
apparent, to injure the cane, naturally asks how and why
this is done.

Reasons being as plenty as blackberries, of course
there is no lack in this case. But that these are not

Rods and Hod Material. 165

more oonsistent than the finding of the coroner's jury,
that the subject of their deliberations died of consump-
tion from having been hung for horse-stealing, somewhat
militates against a perfectly satisfactory conclusion.

Here are a few samples, assigned by those who said
they knew all about it:

Ist. It is a religious ceremony.

2d. They are roasted over a large gridiron to kill the
larvae of boring insects.

dd. It is merely for purposes of ornament.

4th. That the bamboo grows in jungles, matted to-
gether with all manner of climbing and tenacious vines.
That before they can be extricated and separated, the
jungle must be fired to destroy these creepers.

5th. That the canes are roasted over a gridiron to
bum off the leaves and creepers attached to them, as the
most'simple and expeditious way to get rid of these.

6th. That it is done with a hot iron, each cane being
treated separately, merely to straighten them.

I have heard others, but these are quite sufficient for
liberal exercise of personal predilection, my own being
towards a combination of the reasons numbered 4 and
6. Definite and positive information on this point from
personal observation, preparatory to an effort to cause a
discontinuance of the practice if not absolutely neces-
sary, is greatly to be desired.

To any of my readers who, animated by the hope of
obtaining better material than the open market at pres-
ent affords, may desire to order a private supply from
India, I tender the following advice, wishing them bet-
ter luck therein than has fallen to my lot : Order nothing
but the butts of the cane, and those of the largest at-
tainable diameter, and unburned. Insist that they be

166 Fly-rods cund Fly-tacJde.

split open lengthwise through the leaf-sides of the cane
before shipment, and that they be carried on the vessel
lashed under the boats, or where they will have free
access of air yet not be exposed to the sun and sea-
water.

It is hazardous to say anything is quite impossible, so
you may succeed in obtaining what you desire; but my
own experience leads me to believe that you might as
hopefully try to talk a stone wall out of its place, as the
inhabitants of that country out of their accustomed meth-
ods of procedure.

In the Calcutta bamboo, strength, lightness, and that
steely spring which is the acme of perfection in a fly-
rod, are found to a degree unequalled in any other known
material. But, like most other things in this hollow,
hollow world, it has its drawbacks. Good bamboo — ^that
which may truly be called virtuous in that it poscresses
all the virtues — though not as scarce as hens' teeth, is still
a rare prize and difficult to obtain. Mediocrity is the
rule here below, and with mediocrity of greater or less
degree must the rod-maker be content who would use
this material in quantity. Indeed, either the quality now
imported has deteriorated when compared to that of say
seven or eight years ago, or the writer has become much
more exacting in his choice. While as to poor bamboo,
that which may justly be so called when compared to
the mediocrity aforesaid (and such is by far the greater
portion brought to this country), it is — well, the English
language is impotent to describe, or at all events to ex-
aggerate, its utter worthlessness for our purpose. Un-
fortunately there is no test which any dealer would per-
mit to determine the strength of a split -bamboo rod
after it is once glued together. It may have hardly the

Rods omd Rod M(itenal. ie7

strength of a piece of pine -wood, and yet present a
perfect exterior. The spring and balance of the rod
may of course be readily tried, until one is found which
Buits. But as to the strength of material you are com-
pletely at the mercy of the maker. Therefore, in buy-
ing a rod of this description go only to a well-known
maker, or his agent; for both have a reputation to main-
tain, and will be glad to make good any defect in ma-
terial. Also, if you do not mind the extra expense, you
will do well to have two, instead of a single middle joint,
for this part of the rod is most in danger.

There is still another objection to bamboo rods. If
the butt or middle joint is broken, except quite close to
the ferrules, the break cannot be spliced so as to stand,
and the usefulness of that joint is at an end.

Hexagonal split bamboo rods are now made in quan-
tity which wholesale as low as a dollar and sixty cents
apiece. In external appearance they are not at all bad,
and not infrequently their action is very fair. To produce
such a rod of such a material at such a price, it is obvious
that the most rigid economy in manufacture must be prac-
tised. Selection of material would seem to be impossible.
No waste can be permitted. All the cane purchased —
good, bad, and indifferent alike — ^must go through the ma-
chine. While good bamboo may be the best, poor bamboo
is certainly the worst of rod materials. While it cannot be
said that it is absolutely impossible occasionally to find a
serviceable rod among the many so produced, the doctrine
of probabilities indicates that the chance is very remote.
It is not absolutely impossible for the owner of a single
ticket to capture the principal prize in a grand lottery,
but his prospects of so doing are by no means brilliant.

I repeat, otily those whose time is their own and whose

168 Fly-rods and Fly4aoJde.

fly-fishing lies at their own threshold can afford to exper^
iment with cheap fishing tackle.

Some years ago a vessel from the East Indies dis-
charged a cargo of sugar at this port. For dunnage to
the cargo, which was in mats, large bamboos, some even
six inches through, had been used. When the vessel had
discharged, these were thrown out upon the dock. A
friend secured two or three pieces, and gave me one. It
was the toughest and most elastic bamboo I have ever
seen. I made one rod from it, placing the rind inside,
and was so pleased with it that the temptation to make
one more, and exhaust on it all the skill I possessed, was
irresistible. Every knot was cut out and the strips
spliced, so as to secure absolute uniformity of action,
and when the rod was complete I was satisfied with my
work. That rod became the bane of my existence. For
three seasons I stuck to it, uniting the splices again and
again. Every adhesive substance I could hear of was
tried ; the splices were carefully wrapped with un waxed
silk, and then varnished so as to paste the silk down,
and at the same time swell it and increase the firmness of
its embrace upon the bamboo. But it was all useless.
The first fish struck would start some splice, and the rod
was worthless. Again and again have I spliced bamboo
joints for friends where accident has occurred at a dis-
tance from the repair shop, using that most adhesive of
all glues, " Russian isinglass," but they never stood, nor
do I think they can be made to stand, for any length of
time. Bamboo tips, however, may be successfully re-
paired without difficulty.

Notwithstanding this, if you once become possessed of
a really good bamboo rod, you have the best there is —
something superior to any wooden rod that can be made.

JSods and Hod Material. 169

ASH AND LANCEWOOD.

Br^^n^ ««.^*« . f^l>» 0.7786.

1.0336.

Next in order, through seniority, comes the ash and
lancewood rod. The butt is of the white-ash — that of
wide grain, and with the dense intervening portion white
and bone-like in textare, is the kind available for rods.
An old billiard-cue is an excellent source from which to
derive the material. If the grain is either very narrow
(one-sixteenth of an inch or less) or very wide, the wood
is apt to be weak. Select that having a grain about one-
eighth of an inch wide, and nine times out of ten it will
be good. Anything off the white in color is a bad sign.
Red-ash is worthless. Any redness in the grain, though
the more solid portions are of good color, is an unfavor-
able indication.

The middle joint and tip are lancewood. This is im-
ported from the West Indies and South America in poles
from fifteen to twenty feet long and three to ten inches
in diameter. It is very stiff, strong, and elastic. Its
quality can be quite well judged by its color, that of a
bright yellow being the best. It works in a kindly man-
ner under a keen plane, and altogether is an excellent
material, and the only one, except bamboo, fit for tips in
single-handed rods. The Cuban lancewood is the best.

The ash and lancewood rod has gone out of fashion of
late years, and has fallen in general estimation to a posi-
tion by no means commensurate with its merits. Some
still think that, take it all in all, this combination makes
the best of wooden rods, and it seems to me they are
not very far wrong.

I have seen an ash and lancewood rod do the most
surprising work.

170 Fly-rods and Fly-tacTde,

I was fishing from a boat in Rangely Lake a few years
since. Just beyond reach of my cast another boat was
anchored, containing an old gentleman using about a nine-
ounce rod of this description and a liberal " gob " of
worms.

The bottom was plainly visible, and from time to time
large trout of five pounds and upward lazily swam into
sight, cruising slowly about in utter indifference to every-
thing except their own private pursuits. Six and seven
pounders were common, while one leviathan was a fre-
quent visitor, which I could not place at less than ten
pounds. Oh, how my heart went out to him !

I was attending to my own affairs, in that frantic
condition of mind incident to an occasion when such
trout are rising freely, but positively decline to acknowl-
edge the slightest acquaintance with such an insect as
the fly. Again and again my fly would settle in a swirl
like that made by the blade of an oar, and that too be-
fore the fish could have been three feet from the spot.
Every five minutes the fly was changed, ranging from
the smallest gnat to a good-sized salmon-fly. I tried it
on the water — under the water — in every way and under
every condition I could devise, but all in vain. So it may
reasonably be surmised that peace was not with me.

Suddenly my guide exclaimed, "He's got one!" I
looked. I was at once struck by the perfect curve of
the rod, which was doubled up to a degree that few
could regard without apprehension, for the old gentle-
man clearly was handling his fish "without gloves."
Momentarily I expected to see it break. But no ; ten —
fifteen minutes — half an hour passed — and still the rod
triumphed over that fearful strain, while the fish seemed
as fresh as ever. At last a boy climbed a tree overhang-

Rods and Rod Materiel. vn

ing the bank and not twenty feet distant from the boat.
No sooner had he reached his perch and taken in the
situation, than he shouted, " Why he's got him by the
tail!" For at least an hour the struggle lasted, and
when, after landing his trout, the old gentleman passed
me on his way home, I asked him if I might see it. It
weighed seven pounds by my own tested scales, and
there, sure enough, about three inches in front of the tail
and on the right side was the wound of the hook. Per-
mission having been granted to examine the rod, no sign
could be detected of the fearful ordeal through which it
had passed.

If the amount you feel willing to pay for a rod be
limited, an ash and lancewood rod is the safest invest-
ment ; but select one in which the ash is white and of
wide grain, and the lancewood yellow and free from
bluish stains. If, however, the rod is colored, as is fre-
quently the case, you cannot judge of this ; then you
must rely on the maker, and should buy only from the
maker, and from one who has a reputation to sustain.
You will probably have to pay a dollar or two more, but
you will get your money's worth. This remark holds
good, and cannot be too strongly emphasized in regard
to all fishing-tackle.

These bluish stains so frequently seen in lancewood
seem not to be inherent in the tree, but to be due to
faulty treatment in seasoning. They arise from storing
the logs in a close, damp locality, and indicate inferior
elasticity and strength.

CEDAB.
Specific gniTity, 0.6896.
We will next consider cedar as a material.
Such cedar as is used in lead-pencils is worthless for

173 Fhf-roda <md Fly-taclde.

our purpose. The rod-cedar is darker in color, harder,
heavier, stronger, and much stiffen I have never been
able to find it at the wood-dealers in the vicinity of New
York, and am inclined to believe that if it is used at all
in the arts, it is so but sparingly.

The wood in question is the product of the cedar of
our northern seaboard, notably of Long Island. It
grows in poor soil and is apt to be scraggy. Its sap
wood is white, its old wood dark red. Certainly a rod
well proportioned, from a good, straight-grained speci-
ra^ of this wood, for lightness and promptness of ac-
tion cannot be excelled. Strain it as you will short
of the breaking point, it will take no set, nor will any
change in its feel show that its powers have been over-
taxed. But it is the weakest of all material used for
that purpose, and only fit for a dilettante angler who
fishes open water where there is no danger of a foul on
his back cast, and who is ever on his guard to give the
fish no opportunity to strike his fly when the rod is ap-
proaching the perpendicular. For a rod of this wood
the ferrules should be considerably larger than for the
preceding.

MAHOE.*
Specific gravity, 0.6607.
For this wood I have quite a predilection, not shared,
it must be confessed, by the majority of those who have
used it. It is a native of Cuba, grows to a considerable
size, and is there used for the springs of their peculiar
two-wheeled vehicle the " volante.'* In color it closely

♦ Rods are on the market under the name of " Maltese wood," the
material of wiiich I am unable to distinguish from mahoe.

Rods cmd Rod Material, 173

resembles black-walnut — indeed it might well be mis-
taken for that wood by a cabinet-maker. But when var-
nished and rubbed down, faint narrow lines transverse
to the length appear, such as sometimes may be seen on
fine violin bows, giving the wood a beautiful appearance
and distinguishing it at once from black-walnut. Next
to cedar it is the lightest generally known rod material,
and requires ferrules of like size. The general complaint
against it may be formulated thus: if you can get a joint
of mahoe that will stand, you have a fine thing, but its
strength is very uncertain, and only to be determined in
the field. This criticism we think hardly fair. If the
grain is perfectly straight, a good firm pressure in each
of the four directions when the joint is tapered and in
the square, will disclose its strength or lack of strength.
Protecting myself by this precaution, I have used mahoe
with great satisfaction and without accident, both in the
streams of the Middle States and in the heavier fishing
of Maine. Though certainly far stronger than cedar, still
the best of it has not the strength of good ash or lance-
wood of like dimensions ; but this is, in a measure at
least, made good by the larger diameter which the rod
may and should receive.

Its virtues are an attractive appearance, promptness
of action, lightness, and indifference to moisture. Those
who so laud the action of a cedar rod should be pleased
with that of mahoe, since the resemblance of the two in
this respect is so marked that many place them on an
equal footing.

Tips should be of lancewood, or, better still, split-
bamboo.

174 Fly-rods cmd Fly-tackle.

HICKOBT.

Specific gravity, 0.7968.

This wood may be said to have gone entirely out of
fashion in tliis country, though still in favor in England,
where it has for many years been held in high esteem.
Its great strength is well known and freely admitted,
but at the same time it is charged with being " logy " in
action. But this, while generally quite true, is not uni-
versally so, since hickory joints which would please the
most fastidious are by no means unknown. It would
also seem that this difference may be accounted for and
guarded against, and this in the following manner:

A second -growth tree of the " shag-bark "* variety
should be selected, which has grown in an exposed situ-
ation and not in a forest. For trees are like men, a
hardy middle-age following a youth of vigorous struggle.
In an open pasture, or on a knoll exposed to the keen
blasts of winter, weakling trees perish in their infancy,
and only the most vigorous attain their growth. As the
child whose every muscle has been in daily use devel-
ops into a vigorous man, so a tree so situated strength-
ens its fibres and improves their elasticity by its daily
struggle with the elements. Having found a tree so lo-
cated, its character may be safely presumed. It must
then be cut either in December or January, when the sap
is entirely out of the wood, otherwise no amount of sea-
soning seems to impart the required elasticity.

As soon as cut, the white portion of the wood must be

* According to the United States Forestry Department's timber test,
pig-nut hickory should be the better wood. Its specific gravity is given
as 0.89 ; weight of cubic foot, 66 pounds.

Mod <md Hod Material. 176

sawn into sqaare sticks of the desired length and size.
These should then be immersed in fresh water from six
to eight weeks. For the cells, though free from sap,
still contain the starch, etc., to furnish the first growth
of the ensuing spring. Water soaking removes this, and
it is conceded by all the authorities that wood so used
seasons sooner and becomes lighter than if otherwise
treated. All kiln-drying or boiling of the wood is in-
jurious.

When this process is complete, the wood can and should
be straightened, if this is required. Two courses are then
open : first, to pile the sticks in a criss-cross manner, cov-
er them with boards, and pile stones thereon, and leave
them to season; or second, to hang them up, each separate-
ly, and by one end, so that the air may have free access to
all sides. The latter is the more speedy method. In the
former case weighting the boards is to prevent season-
crooks, which always tend to cause the wood to curve
from the heart. These will almost invariably show them-
selves, if permitted, and are quite persistent, tending to
recur notwithstanding straightening by heat, if present
when the wood is seasoned. If the latter method is fol-
lowed, the sticks should be handled frequently, and such
as are found crooked should be straightened, and given a
slight bend in the opposite direction. Thus they may be
compelled to dry perfectly straight.

The seasoning must be carried on out of the sun and
rain, and with free access of air. Why rain should be
avoided is obvious. If exposed to the sun, season-cracks
will appear in the wood to its utter ruin.

In Hough's " Elements of Forestry " is given a table
of the percentage of moisture in wood, at six, twelve,
eighteen, and twenty-four months. From this it appears

176 Fly rods and Fly-tacHe.

that little, if anything, i8 gained by seasoning wood over
eighteen months. All woods are hygroscopic, absorbing
water from the atmosphere. Some, after the period speci-
fied, actually gained in weight by absorption of moisture,
while others, though they continued to part with it, did
so but very slowly. The difference in weight between
green and perfectly dry hickory is therein stated to be
nearly one-third.

These remarks apply equally to seasoning all domestic
woods, and are here made once for all.

An ash butt and lancewood tip will work well with
hickory; or if the butt joint is to be of the latter, use a
handle of lighter wood, say butternut.

IRONWOOD.
Specific gravity, 0.8184.

This wood has as many different local names as the
black bass. It is known as barwood, leverwood, and
hornbeam. Norris gives its botanical name as Carpinus
oatrya — and the Government Book on Forestry, as Os-
trya virginica. In appearance it closely resembles dog-
wood. The sapwood resembles ash in color, the heart
having a reddish tinge like red-ash. Both seem equal in
merit. Two varieties are known, the one having a smooth
bark without fissures is inferior. The other has a thin
yellowish gray bark, w^ith abundant shallow fissures, but
otherwise rather smooth, and this latter is the tree from
which the wood used for rod-making should be taken.

It prefers damp places, and grows from Canada to the
Gulf. Further description, with illustrations of leaf and
flower, may be found in the American Encyclopedia, arti-
cle " Hornbeam." It was a special favorite of Mr, Thad-
deus Norris, author of "The American Angler," who

Bods and Rod Material. 177

highly extolled its merits; and unqaestionably it is one
of the best of native woods for our purpose. But it
roust be selected, and cut as directed under the head of
" Hickory," or it will be worthless. I have some iron-
wood cut fourteen years ago, and then sawn into strips
about one- third of an inch square. It was felled in June,
otherwise the conditions were all followed, and to this
day it is not fit to put in a rod.

The tree is small, eight or nine inches being the limit
of its diameter, and apt to be crooked and knotty. * But
with patience, material fit for rods can be found almost
anywhere in the country.

Ironwood is very strong, not over heavy, and at its
best is sufliciently elastic; and if really choice, will pro-
duce an excellent rod when combined with lancewood,
or, better still, split-bamboo tips. But if in craving after
lightness, as is now the fashion, you are niggardly in
material, your rod will be slow and withy, and lack that
nervous promptness of action without which a fly-rod Js
like a counterfeit five-dollar bill. It will not bear to be
reduced to the calibre of lancewood, greenheart, or beth-
abara.

It breaks with a long splintering fracture. This can
be taken advantage of, and its strength and elasticity
greatly improved by the following method of manu-
facture : Color one end of the stick, for which purpose
ink will answer ; then saw it into four strips about a
quarter of an inch square. Plane them up and glue them
a in pairs, so the ends will appear thus : ^ — .

Hthen face up the side, a, of both pairs ^B I
^ and glue them together in the way rep- »
^ resented in Fig. 32. Straighten them *'**^**-
Pig. 82. while the glue is warm, when they will bend
12

178 Fly-rods and Fly-tackle.

like lead, and all season-crooks can be taken oat once for
all. Now plane in your taper, touching only the sides,
a and 6, until you have quite finished them, for you can
then see the glue line, c </, and so work the suifaces, a
and ^, as to keep that line central. Then finish the taper
by working off the sides, c and d. Use every precaution to
keep the intersection of the lines, ah and c^, in the mid-
dle of the joint. If your glue joints are as they should
be, they ought to be almost invisible ; and this may
bother you, since they are your only guide. Therefore,
if you do not object to having the glue line appear on
the finished rod, rub the glue sides, before you apply the
glue, with red chalk. This will not injure, but rather in-
crease the tenacity of the glue.

Remember to use glue that has never been melted be-
fore, and without the admixture of any old glue what-
ever. Soak it in cold water during the night before it
is to be used. You will find it in the morning much
swollen and flabby, and in this condition you shpuld melt
it without adding further water.

It will be noticed that by this method the direction
of the would-be lines of fracture cross one another, and
that a break in a joint so made must occur, not in the
natural direction, but directly across the fibre. Thus
results a great gain * both in strength and elasticity.
This is decidedly the best way to make an ironwood rod.
Wrap with silk, as though the rod were of split-bamboo.

One precaution the ironwood rod requires beyond
every other — water must be excluded, or it becomes
leaden and soggy at once. Nothing but the best coach-
body varnish, and plenty of it, should be applied to such
a rod, and one coat at least should precede any wrap-
pings.

Mods and Rod Material, 179

ORBBNHEABT.

Soecific ffi-avitv Park-colored, 1.0908.
specinc giavit) . -^ Light-colored, 0.9648.

This wood is a native of the West Indies and South
America, though our supply comes principally from
Demarara in British Guiana, often through England. It
is a tree of large size, yielding timbers from twenty-four
to fifty feet long, and from twelve to twenty-four inches
square. The wood is dense in grain and heavy, some
specimens dark as the darkest black-walnut, and others
of a yellowish brown or light snuff-color — a difference
which does not seem to affect the strength and elasticity
of the wood. It is very strong and elastic, is unaffected
by moisture, and takes a very attractive finish. In my
opinion it takes the first place among rod- woods.

Some complain of it as treacherous, but I have not
found it so. Indeed it may well be questioned whether
upon close investigation this fault, so freely charged
against more than one rod material, should not more just-
ly be attributed to negligence on the part of the maker.
Before any wood of any and every kind is ennobled by
conversion into a fly-rod, its fitness can and should be
thoroughly tested. When the proposed joint is still in
the 'square, and after the taper has been planed in, a
strong bend should be given it towards each of the four
sides. If it breaks, be thankful that it failed in the shop
and not in actual battle ; and on the principle that it is
better for a fire-arm to burst in the proving-room than
in the hands of its owner, congratulate yourself as one de-
livered from danger. Also, if it " sets " — that is, does not
recover its former straightness when the strain is removed
— ^reject it till time and further seasoning remedy this.
To one with but limited time to devote to the amuse-

180 Fhy-Tods and Fly4ackle.

ment of rod-making, and who has arranged his affairs, pos-
sibly with inconvenience, that he may have a little leisure
to devote to this, I know the temptation is great to use
material which does not altogether meet his approval —
particularly if none other be at hand. But he who yields
to temptiation must expect the incident retribution, and
this will prove no exception to the rule.

Greenheart files, scrapes, turns, and planes well, but like
most other rod-woods a keen tool is required. Shavings of
this wood from the plane have nothing of the usual ribbon-
like character,but crumble during their formation, as if the
wood was very deficient in tenacity. Such is not the case.

It may be bought in the plank at from thirty to fifty
cents a foot, board measure, at any of the dealers in hard-
wood in Centre Street, New York City. But unless per-
sonally selected, knots, crooked grain, season-cracks, and
other defects will increase the cost of such portions as may
be available. Such planks as I have seen have been from
ten to eighteen feet long, one and a quarter inches thick,
and from twelve to twenty inches wide. The whole plank
must be taken, the dealers refusing to cut it. If to this is
added the fact that one-half waste is a moderate loss in-
deed, it will be more satisfactory to send for it to one of
those houses that make a specialty of supplying amateurs
with material. The price demanded may seem severe
when compared with the cost in plank, but this is more
apparent than real. You may then expect selected and
seasoned wood, and may conclude that for every stick
you receive, the seller has bought and thrown into the
scrap-heap waste sufficient to make three or four. Of
course this loss, together with interest on money idle
during the seasoning process, must be charged upon that
which is merchantable, in addition to its first cost.

Bods and Rod Mdterial* 181

If the before-mentioned test be applied as directed, I
confidently recommend this wood for the amateur's first
efforts in rod-making, bat for butts and middle joints
only. Though sometimes employed for that purpose, I
think it too heavy for tips. A trifling increase of weight
at that part makes a serious and disagreeable difference
in the feel and action of the rod, as might be expected
the moment its distance from the hand and consequent
leverage is considered. Also, for the handle of such a
rod a lighter wood should be employed, such as ash, but-
ternut, or sumach. This may easily be arranged, either
by boring into the handle at least the whole length of
the grasp, and gluing the greenheart butt-joint there-
in, or by placing a ferrule immediately above the han-
dle. The latter, for reasons hereafter stated, I believe
to be the best construction for any rod of any material.

*BBTHABABA.
Spedfic gravity, 1.2140.

The merits of this wood have been more highly ex-
tolled than any other. That it may be worked -^ of an
inch thinner than split - bamboo, and have the same
strength and better action ; also that a rod made from
it will cast a line ten feet farther than any rod made
from split-bamboo of the same calibre, are perhaps fair
samples of the claims urged in its behalf.

If all this is true, here is the long sought substitute
for split-bamboo. When the difficulty of obtaining good
material for the latter, the greater skill and time required
in its manufacture, the practical impossibility of altering

* Rods are on the market under the name of " Noib wood,'* the material
of which I am unable to distinguish from carefully selected bethabara.

182 Fly-rods and Fly-tackh.

its action if unsatisfactory, or of repairing a break, are
considered, certainly this is " a consummation devoutly
to be wished " by all, except, perhaps, the makers of that
form of rod.

My own experience, confined, however, to two butt*
and four middle joints (used with split -bamboo tips),
does not confirm these statements.

The wood of these rods was selected with great care,
not only for the express purpose of determining its merits
as far as so limited a test would permit, but also with an
earnest desire to find it at least equal if not superior to
the split-bamboo.

In this I was disappointed.

Of two joints of equal diameter and length, that of
six-strip split-bamboo was considerably the stiffer, and
weighed about one-third less ; or in other words, the
same power to cast a fly and control a fish could be ob-
tained from a hexagonal split - bamboo of considerably
smaller diameter, and probably, exclusive of ferrules, of
little more than half the weight.

It has unquestionably great strength, fully equal to,
perhaps somewhat in excess of, the average hexagonal
split-bamboo of the same diameter; but if the bamboo is
of really good quality, I cannot accord bethabara any
superiority m this respect.

As compared with good greenheart, about the same
elasticity was found. No superiority in stiffness, which
would permit the bethabara to be worked to a less di-
ameter and retain equal power, could be detected. In
strength it might, perhaps, average a little better, but its
greater weight would seem to offset this, since the green-
heart being the lighter wood could be made thicker.

On the whole, contrary to my earnest desire, the con-

Bods and Rod Material. 183

elusion was forced upon me that in this material no suc-
cessful rival of first-class split-bamboo was to be found.
That it is the equal of good greenheart in every respect
except slightly greater weight, possibly with some slight
advantage in strength, was the opinion formed, and it is
believed to be just.

Beyond that bethabara is a native of a hot climate, and
grows from three to three and a half feet in diameter
and twenty feet to the first branch, I have been able to
acquire no certain information of its origin or growth.
It is supposed to be, like greenheart, a native of British
Guiana, and there known as Wasahba,^' bethabara "be-
ing a " fancy " name.

Some think it a variety of greenheart, but he who has
worked the two woods will hesitate to accept this opinion.
It resembles greenheart in color, but still with a differ-
ence easily seen on close inspection, though difficult to
describe. It is denser in grain, more bony in texture,
and requires a sharper tool to work it. It has the pe-
culiarity of depositing a gummy substance on the edge
of the plane blade, producing the effect of dulness, which
must at short intervals be removed on the oil-stone be-
fore the plane will resume its cut. When under the
plane a yellow powder, closely resembling pulverized
gamboge in appearance, is profusely deposited on the
bench and tools, as well as on the hands and person of the
worker. This instantly turns a strong salmon color in
contact with soap and water, due doubtless to the action
of the alkali in the former. Its shavings have nothing
of the crumbling character of those of greenheart, from
which all the foregoing marked peculiarities distinguish it.

Though amenable to the plane, turning- tool, file, and
scraper, it must be considered difficult and disagreeable

184 Fly-rods a/nd Fly4acTde.

to work — more so than any rod-making material, except
possibly split-bamboo.

For a rod 10 to 10^^ feet long, 7 to 8 ounces in weight,
handle 12 to 14 inches long, of lighter wood, female fer-
rules as follows (measured inside) are recommended by
that house to whom we are indebted for its name, and
introduction to the notice of the anglers of this country:

Female ferrule uniting butt and second joint, 10^ to
1 1 thirty-seconds of an inch.

Female ferrule uniting second joint and tip, ^\ to 7
thirty-seconds of an inch.

Heavy bass fly-rod, 12 and 8 thirty-seconds of an inch.

Though it is sometimes used for tips, its usefulness in
that position may well be questioned, for the reason
stated under " Greenheart."

Assuming for the present that this wood is identical
with that mentioned by many travellers in the Guianas
as " Washiba," "Washeba," and " Wasahba," it is there
a common tree, growing to the height of one hundred
and ten feet. It is also locally known as " Bow-wood,"
and is used by the Indians for their bows and war-clubs.
It is also well known in England, and there used for
fly-rods and bows.

Further experience with this wood, had since the fore-
going was written, inclines me to believe that I have
done full justice to, if I have not somewhat exaggerated
its merits. I do not now think it, in any respect what-
ever, superior to good greenheart, while it is considera-
bly heavier.

SNAKEWOOD.
Specific gravity, 1.8718.
This wood is also a native of the Guianas. It is called
" Bourra-courra " by the natives, with whom it is a fa-

Bods and Bod Material. 186

vorite bow-wood. Almost all travellers in these colo-
nies mention and describe the powerful bows carried
by the natiyes, and the skill with which they are used.
These accounts extend at intervals for over one hundred
years, beginning with Captain Stedman's narrative of an
expedition to Surinam, in 1772-1776. From these it ap-
pears the natives use for this purpose either purpleheart,
washiba, or snakeweed. Captain Stedman thus de-
scribes this tree:

" The bourra-courra or brazil grows to between thirty
and forty feet high, but not very thick, with a reddish
bark. The heart only of this tree is valuable after the
white pithy part is cut away, though then much reduced.
The wood is as truly beautiful as it is useful, the color
being a fine crimson, variegated with irregular and fan-
tastical black spots, from which by the French it is
called bois-de-lettrea. It is heavy, hard, and capable of
taking a brilliant polish.''

The name of snakewood arose from the resemblance
this wood bears to the skin of the more highly-colored
snakes, just as the French name was given because of
the fancied resemblance of the irregular black spots to
letters. It is not unf requently called " Letterwood " by
English writers. Captain Stedman's description cannot
be improved, except that the ground-tint of the wood,
as seen in this country at least, is a reddish brown rather
than crimson. It has been well known in this country
for a long time, and is esteemed to be the most^beautif ul
of all the fancy woods, as it is the most expensive. It
is imported in billets of various lengths and up to about
nine or ten inches in diameter, the sapwood having
been first removed. The market price is from sixteen to
twenty cents a pound, being sold by weight and not by

186 Fly-rods and Fly-tackle,

measare. It has been sparingly used for fly-rod making,
but chiefly for bows, and sometimes for violin bows.

It is extremely hard and close-grained, indeed were it
not for the ease with which it splits, it might be supposed
to have no grain at all. It has abundant elasticity and
strength, its excessive weight and high first cost being
the only objections to its use. No other material ap-
proximates to it in beauty, but it should be employed
only in butts in combination with a handle of lighter
wood, and in middle joints. Its great weight renders it
unfit for tips.

BEEFWOOD.
Specific gravity, 1.8090.

This wood seems generally to be identified with the
beef wood or she -oak of Australia. But I believe this
to be a mistake, and for the following reasons: first,
the she -oak is described as a tree about eighteen feet
high and twelve inches in diameter, a size utterly inade-
quate to furnish planks of the width common in this
market ; second, I have seen an afildavit in the posses-
sion of a dealer, accompanying an invoice of this wood,
which declared that it was a native of the Guianas and
from the bullet-tree — called by travellers by that name,
as well as " Bullit-tree " and " Bully-tree," supposed to
be a corruption of the native name, " Ballata." The
botanical name is Achras baUata,

This tree grows to a height of sixty feet and more,
and is often six feet in diameter. The bark is gray
and smooth.

Beef wood is well known in this market. I have seen
it only in planks, of various lengths and up to twenty
inches in width. It is as hard as snakewood, very
heavy, strong, and elastic. The wood is red in color.

Rods and Rod Material, 187

resembling the lean of the boiled salt-beef of the sailors.
It has been used in this country for bows, but the deal-
ers say it is principally employed for making violin bows,
to the wood of the red and more usual variety of which
it certainly bears the closest resemblance.

It has been sparingly used for fly-rods. Though I
have worked this wood for other purposes, I have never
either made, or seen a rod which was made from it. But
aside from its great weight, which is but little less than
that of snakeweed, I should think it would serve well
for butts and middle joints, if these were an*anged as
suggested under the head of snakeweed. Its market
price is from twenty to twenty-five cents a square foot.

PADDLBWOOD.
Specific gravity, 0.8868.

This wood is another native of British Guiana. It is
there known among the English-speaking portion of that
community by the name given above and as "Rollor-
wood,"and among the natives as " Yarura" or^Maseara."

This wood was first called to my attention by Mr. II.
L. Leonard, the well-known rod-maker, and subsequently
by Mr. A. N. Cheney. To the latter and Mr. Charles F.
Orvis I am indebted for a specimen. It is a large tree,
attaining a height of eighty feet and a diameter of five
to six feet. The trunk presents a singular appearance,
as though composed of a central mass from which radi-
ated a number of flanges six to eight inches wide, and
about two and a half inches thick, thus closely resem-
bling a coarse cog-wheel. From these flanges the na-
tives make their paddles; hence the name. One traveller
describes it as appearing as though a number of small
trees had grown together, and that this extends the en-

188 Fly-rods and Fly-tacJcle.

tire length of the trunk. It is well known, being men-
tioned by most travellers who have recorded their expe-
riences in that country. The wood resembles lancewood
somewhat in appearance, but is deeper in tint, inclining
to a salmon or flesh color, and is neither so close in the
grain nor so hard.

All authorities unite in assigning to it great strength
and elasticity, while some say that it possesses these
qualities in a degree unequalled by any other material
not exceeding it in weight.

Specific grayity, 0.9690.

This wood is a native of the South-western portion of
the United States. It is also called " Bodock," obviously
a corruption of the above, as well as the " Osage-orange,"
from the combined facts that it produces an inedible
orange-like fruit, and that it was first noticed by French
Canadian trappers in the country of the Osage Indians.
These Indians employed it for bow-making, whence the
name first given. Though it will live anywhere south
of New Tork, and is not uncommon elsewhere, still it
attains its maximum development in Texas, Arkansas,
and the Indian Territory. There it attains a height of
from fifty to seventy feet, and a diameter of from three
to four feet. When growing alone it branches rather
close to the ground, but when shaded, shoots upward
towards tlie light, as do other forest-trees, and then the
branches start at a somewhat greater height. The bo-
tanical name is Machura aurantica.

The wood resembles locust closely in appearance, be-
ing yellow, hard, and extremely durable and elastic. It
is much prized for wagon-building. The sapwood should

Bods and Rod Material. 189

not be used, since it does not possess the merits of the
inner portion. It may be safely accepted as a general
rule, that anything which will make a good bow will
make a gopd rod.

I have never seen a rod made from this wood, but the
fact that the Osages used it for their bows, coupled with
the recommendation of that most excellent and well-
known angler and writer, Mr. A. N. Cheney (to whom I
am indebted for calling it to my attention), together with
the appearance of the wood itself, encourage me to hope
that here we may find a domestic material equal, if not
superior, to most of the foreign woods.

In "Trees of America," by D. J. Brown, it is de-
scribed in substance as follows : The Machura aurantica
in its natural habitat is a beautiful deciduous tree, usual-
ly growing to a height of twenty-five to thirty feet, with
a trunk from twelve to eighteen inches in diameter: but
in very favorable situations it sometimes attains double
these dimensions. The branches, which are covered with
a grayish bark, are armed with spines. The leaves are
broad, two to four inches long, oval, with a pointed end,
smooth, and of a bright shining green. The spines are
rather strong and an inch or more in length. The flow-
ers produced in April or May are inconspicuous and
nearly green, with a slight yellow tinge. The fruit ma-
tures in Pennsylvania in September or October, and is of
the size and appearance of a large Seville orange with a
rough warty surface.

"The wood of the Machura is of a bright yellow
color, somewhat resembling the fustic, and like the wood
of that tree, it is said, affords a yellow dye. It is solid,
heavy, durable, uncommonly fine-grained, and elastic;
and on account of the latter property it is used for

190 FVy-Tods arid Fly-iaclde.

bows by all the tribes of Indians of the region where it
abounds. When wrought it receives a beautiful polish,
of the appearance and brilliancy of satinwood,"

SHADBLOW.
Specific gravity, 0.8620.
This shrub is known also as Juneberry, Serviceberry
Shadbush, and Wild -plum. It grows throughout the
Eastern and Middle States and Canada. Its botanical
name is Amelanchier canadensis. Its blossoms precede
its leaves in April or May^ about the time the shad
ascend the rivers, whence one of its names ; while an-
other is due to the fact that its edible fruit ripens in
June. Many varieties are found, differing in size from
a mere bush to a small tree of thirty or forty feet in
height. The wood greatly resembles the outer wood of
the hornbeam in color and texture, being quite white and
close-grained. It is very strong and tough, but inclined
like hornbeam to be " logy " — i.e., not very prompt to re-
cover when bent; still I have seen one rod made from it
throughout by Mr. William Mitchell of this city, which
seemed about as good as a rod could be, the prompt-
ness of action of which left nothing to be desired. My
personal experience of this wood is confined to an exam-
ination of this rod and quite a number of specimens of
the wood in the square. From these I should judge
there was an unusual difference in the stiffness and elas-
ticity of different samples, which may be partly due to
the many varieties which occur; also that, though occa-
sionally better may be had, still the general inin of this
rod material would require pretty good -sized ferrules
and a liberal allowance of timber if other than a withy
rod were desired.

Hods and Rod Material. 191

We are indebted, I believe, to Judge F. J. Fitch for
calling attention to this wood. He speaks of it as fol-
lows, in the American Angler of June 24, 1882: " Of the
various woods that I have used I prefer Amelanchier.
Its strength, lightness, and springiness are all in its favor,
but great care must be taken in selecting it. The tree
should grow where it is exposed to the sun and light —
not in a dense wood or thicket. It should be straight-
grained and free from knots. It is difficult, nay almost
impossible, to find one growing straight. If the stick is
good in all other respects I do not mind one or more
curves. Such sticks I saw out with a narrow saw, fol-
lowing the grain of the wood. This I do while the wood
is yet green. I lash, or with doubled-pointed tacks se-
cure, each stick to a straight board or plank, and when they
have seasoned one or two years they come out straight."

Three hundred different varieties of hard woods grow
within the United States. Of this great number the hick-
ory, ash, hornbeam, shadblow, and osage - orange, cannot
be the only ones adapted to fly-rod making, nor is it prob-
able they are the best. It is the duty of every man who
aspires to be called an angler, to do what lies in his way
to advance the art. It is desirable that anglers should
bear this in mind ; and when opportunity serves, seek
out and make known any new material likely to prove
useful. The field is certainly of sufficient magnitude to
promise ample reward for any labor bestowed on inves-
tigation — always assuming that the well-deserved thanks
of the angling fraternity may be considered in the light
of a reward.

To facilitate identification, it may be further remarked
that this shrub also bears the local names of Wild-pear,
Sugar-plum, and Shad-flower. In favorable localities it

I9d Fly-rods and Fly4acJde.

attains a diameter of from ten to twelve inches. The
wood is white thronghout. Its leaves are from two to
three inches long, alternate, a lengthened oval in shape,
finely-toothed, veined on the under side, and when be-
ginning to open are covered with a thick down. This
subsequently disappears, leaving them perfectly smooth
on both sides. The flowers are white, rather large, and
disposed in panicles at the ends of the branches. The
fruit is globular, about a quarter of an inch in diameter,
red when immature, dark purple when ripe, and covered
with a bloom.

The foregoing is believed to include most of the ma-
terials which have been used for fly-rod making in this
country. The Alaska cedar has recently received some
attention for this purpose. I have seen but one speci-
men of it, and that in the square. It was white in color
and seemed to be somewhat heavier and harder than Flor-
ida cedar. It is reputed to have the same action, and some-
what greater strength.

Reports of rods made all in one piece, without any
joints, from a stick split from a small, tough spruce, have
reached me, and these were said to be excellent. But I
have never seen them.

ADDITIONAL WOODS,

The following woods would appear well worthy of
the attention of the rod -maker. The information is
collated from "Timber ^nd Timber Trees" (Laslett,
London, 1875) and "The Forests and Gardens of South
India" (Cleghorn, London, 1859). The author of the
former was timber inspector to the Admiralty, which

Mods and Hod Material. 193

sufficiently vouches for his opportunities for, and the
reliability of, his investigations. The latter was con-
servator of forests, Madras Presidency.

The character of the tables which Mr. Laslett gives
would seem to enable the reader to foim a very correct
judgment of the comparative value of the different woods
therein mentioned for our purpose, the more so since
greenheart is included therein ; and this, as previously
stated, I believe to be, if in perfection, the best of the
generally known rod-woods.

The transverse strengths were ascertained by support-
ing a piece of wood two inches square upon two edges
placed six feet apart. A receptacle was suspended from
it midway between these points, and into this water was
gradually introduced to the weight of three hundred and
ninety pounds. The deflection in inches was then noted.
The weight was then removed and the resulting deflec-
tion (or set) taken. From this we can well judge two
important factors which go to make a good fly-rod mate-
rial — its stiffness and power of recovery. Next comes
the deflection in inches at the breaking point ; then the
weight required to break each piece in pounds is given;
then the specific gravity from which we may compare
the weights; and finally the weight required to break
one square inch. In each case a number of specimens,
usually six, were tested. In Mr. Laslett's book each de-
termination is separately given, and an average deduced
therefrom. In the table presented hereafter these av-
erages only are given, stating in the first column from
how many separate experiments the given average was
determined. For convenience of comparison all the de-
terminations are presented in a single table, rather than
in detached form under each separate wood.
18

194 Fly-Tods and Fly-tacHe.

PYENGADU.

This wood is a native of Burmab. It is also called
the Ironwood-tree, and is the Ingazylocarva of the bot-
anists. It is a species of acacia, of straight growth. It
grows to a height of seventy or eighty feet without a
branch, and of corresponding diameter, and yields logs
even up to thirty inches square and of great length. The
wood is of a reddish-brown color, hard, heavy, tough,
strong, rigid, and frequently possesses some figure in the
grain, which has the appearance of being both waved
and twisted ; its pores are filled with a remarkably thick,
glutinous, oily substance " which oozes out upon the sur-
face after the wood has been worked, leaving a clammi-
ness which cannot be completely got rid of until the
piece is thoroughly seasoned. This oily substance has
probably a preservative property about it, and may be
conducive to the durability of the timber."

Mr. Laslett quotes from Lieut.-col. H. W. Blake in ef-
fect, that it is one of the largest trees in Burmah, and
combines in itself the properties of wood and iron. It
is heavier than water and more indestructible than iron.
Time and exposure seem to harden it, since a rifle-ball,
fired at a distance of twenty yards, rebounded and failed
to penetrate an ancient post of this material.

He quotes from Dr. Hooker in effect, that it is found,
but not universally, in India. Throughout the Malay
peninsula it is called ^^Peengado." It is abundant in
the Bombay Presidency, where it is called " Jambea " and
" Yerool ;" in the Godavery forests it bears the name of
" Boja ;" it is common in Singapore, and is plentiful in
the Philippine Islands. Everywhere the wood bears a
high character for hardness and durability.

Rods wad Rod Material. 195

Four of the epecimens tested by Mr. Ladett, broke
with about twelve inches length of fracture, and two
with somewhat less. All were fibrous and wiry.

THE CHOW,

also called the Menkabang Penang tree, is a native
of Borneo ; is of large dimensions, yielding logs from
thirty to seventy feet long and from fifteen to twenty-
six inches square, and is of straight growth. The wood
is yellowish or straw-color, close and fine in texture,
straight in grain, hard, heavy, tough, and exceedingly
strong. It is used in Borneo and the countries border-
ing on the China Seas for masts, and for house and ship
building.

Of the samples tested by Mr. Laslett four broke with
fractures about twelve inches in length, and two rather
shorter.

THE PINGOW

is also a native of Borneo, where it is said to be plenti-
ful. It is straight and of considerable size, yielding
timber from twenty-five to forty feet long and eleven
to eighteen inches square. The wood is of a dark brown
color, hard, heavy, tough, rigid, and remarkably strong;
it is straight in the grain, close in texture, and not difii-
cult to work. It is used for the same purposes as the
Chow. All the specimens tested by Mr. Laslett broke
short.

THE KRANJI, OR RED KRANJI TREE.

There are probably varieties of some other color. It
is another native of Borneo. It grows straight and of
large size. The wood is red in color, hard, heavy, ex-
ceedingly tough, and " is one of the strongest with which
we are acquainted, every one of the specimens, when

ige Fly-rods and Fly4acJde.

tried transversely, taking a very heavy strain and break-
ing with an nnusnally long fracture ; the grain is close,
and somewhat resembles Cuba or Spanish mahogany,
bat is very plain ^ (Laslett). It takes a high polish,

Cleghom says, ^' The strength of the wood is very re-
markable, being more than doable that of oak. The
Chinese nse it for the stem-posts of their janks and for
anchors, and they export it from Singapore. A log
twenty-four feet long and one and a half feet square is
worth ten dollars.'*

Of the specimens tested by Mr. Laslett, three broke
with a very long fractare, and three much shorter and
scarf like.

THB ISONBABK TREE

is a native of, and abundant in, Australia. It is a lofty
tree of moderate circumference, and yields timber from
twenty to forty feet in length and from eleven to thirteen
inches square. It receives its name from the hardness
of its bark. The botanical name is Eucalyptua resini-
fera.

The wood is of a deep red color, very hard, heavy,
strong, extremely rigid, and rather difficult to work.
It has a plain straight grain. It is used extensively
in Australia in ship-building and engineering works, as
well as in England for the former purpose.

But four specimens of this were tested by Mr. Laslett.
No. 1 broke with a wiry fracture sixteen inches in length;
No. 2 wiry fracture of twelve' inches ; No. 3 wiry fract-
ure of ten inches ; No. 4 broke short to one-third depth,
then splintering fracture ten inches in length.

Attention is particularly called to the last two woods
in the following table, which, if correct, shows both to
be lighter, stronger, stiflfer, and more elastic than green-

Rods and Rod Material.

197

heart. They are readily to be had, since every China
vessel stops at Singapore, the market for the one ; while
commnnication between this country and Australia, the
home of the other, is freqnent. If any wood really does
possess the merits of bamboo, and if it is desirable to find
such a wood, certainly these two, at least, seem to deserve
attention.

TABLE ABRIDGED FROM LASLETT.

Matbbialb.

Num.
berof
Specl-
mens.

DxPLBOnONS.

Weight
required
to break.

Specific
Gravity.

Weight re-
quired to
break 1
sq. Inch.

Under

890
poQn<l&

After
weight
was re-
moved.

At cri-
sis of
break-
ing.

Greenheart
Ironwood . .

Chow

Pingow...

Kranji

Ironbark. . .

6
6
6
6
6
4

India.

2.16

0.958

0.916

0.776

0.626

0.94

Ineket.
.066
.033
.026
.068
.026
.000

Inches.

4.626

4.25

2.833

3.816

4.04

3.812

Pnmds.
1332.5
1273.3
976.
1263.8.
1482.6
1407.6

1149.6
1176.3
1116.6
747.6
1029.3
1142.

Rnmdi.
333.
318.
243.
316.
370.
361.

Two other woods, natives of Cuba, seem to merit men-
tion, and to be worthy of practical test. My information
concerning them is derived from two papera on "The
Strength and other Properties of Cuban Woods," in the
November and December (1883) numbers of Van Nos-
trand's Engineering Magazine^ by E. D. Estrada, M.E,

It is to be regretted that Mr. Estrada did not facilitate
comparison by reducing his test pieces to one uniform
size, though the necessity of " cutting his coat according
to his cloth" will probably account for this. He de-
scribes these woods substantially as follows :

DAOAME {ColyeaphyUum eandidisnmum).
This is one of the most plentiful trees of the forests
of Cuba, being generally found near mountains and in

198 Fly-rods and Fly-tackle.

reddish soils. A common height is from forty to fifty
feet. Its trunk is straight and quite free from branches.
The wood is of a pale yellow color, very fibrous, is close-
grained, thus resembling boxwood, is moderately heavy,
and very strong and elastic. It is very easily worked,
either across or with the grain. It turns remarkably
well, is entirely free from knots, takes a fine polish, and
is very durable.

It is used extensively in general carpentry, for the
wood-work of ploughs, cart-axles, spokes, and spikes, and
is an excellent material for house-framing because of its
strength and durability; and joiners prefer it for their
work to most other woods. It is also extensively em-
ployed by carriage manufacturers, in ship-yards, and for
other similar purposes. The largest section that can be
obtained after squaring is twelve inches. Its specific
gravity is 0.90. A cubic foot weighs 56.1 pounds.

Mr. Estrada's tests show this wood to be exceeding-
ly strong and elastic, a piece 1.94 inches broad by 2.28
inches deep and forty inches between supports, breaking
only under a load of 3450 pounds, and with a deflection
of 1.9 inches.

JUCABO PBIETO (Bucida).
This tree is abundant near the southern coast of Cuba,
and attains a height of from sixty to eighty feet, for
which it requires fifty to fifty-five years' growth; it has
lateral roots and yields gum by incision.

The wood is of a dark brown color, much resembling
black-walnut, is very strong, tough and elastic, and is
heavy, fine-grained, and free from knots. It stands the
weather remarkably well, is worked easily, and is suscepti -
ble of good polish, thus producing a handsome effect. It
is largely employed in naval constructions, for purposes

Bods and Rod Material. 199

where strength and durability are required. It is also
extensively used by millwrights, and is an excellent ma-
terial for posts, piles, and general dock constructions.
It can be obtained in logs of thirty-six feet in length,
and sixteen inches square. Its specific gravity is 1.08.
A cubic foot weighs 67.3 pounds.

Since writing the foregoing I have made and used
several rods of Dagame, and have seen many made by
others. If well selected and well seasoned, as a rod-wood
it is difficult to equal, much less excel, as far as my ex-
perience goes. Other woods may, perhaps, surpass it a
little in some one particular, but in the general average
of all the desirable qualities it seems to me the best rod-
wood I have ever tried. It is very strong, very elastic,
considerably lighter than any wood I know of which
has equal strength, and works with a keen tool in a way
that is simply a delight. Now that Cuba, its place of
growth, is under our dominion, at least for the time
being, it ought to be procured without difficulty. That
it may be had of ample sizes, straight in the grain and
free from knots, is proved by the many such specimens
I have seen. My first sample was like a railway-tie in
size, and perfect in quality throughout. But just as all
beef is not tender, so all dagame wood is not first-class
of its kind, as, indeed, is the fact with every other rod
material. If ordered, its selection should be confided to
one accustomed to work the wood, if possible, even
though the order be sent through another, for the same
reason that one would not confide the selection of a
horse to a book-worm. Ferrules should be about the
same as for lance-wood, or a very little larger. Tips
may be of the same wood, but split bamboo is better.
Indeed, nothing equals split bamboo for that purpose.

200 Fly-Tods and Fly-tackle.

A piece of* the wood 1.45 inches broad, 1.75 inches
deep, and twenty-eight inches between supports ''broke
at 1675 pounds, with a deflection of 0.85 inches. Con-
tinued to break, and at the last break the total deflection
was six inches. A remarkably tough wood."

Since writing the above, through the kindness of Mr.
Charles Mallory, of the Mallory Steamship Line, I have
received specimens of the Jucaro Prieto and the Dagame
from Cuba. They were in the form of two timbers, each
thirteen inches wide, five inches thick, and nearly six feet
long. The Jucaro Prieto resembled black- walnut in color
and greenheart in density. It was free from knots and
straight in the grain. Though sufficiently strong, it was
not, and is not yet, clastic enough to warrant its recom-
mendation for rod-making. It does not, however, appear
to be thoroughly seasoned, so the future may possibly
develop merits not now apparent.

So greatly may different samples of the same wood
vary in elasticity, that it is premature to condemn a
material altogether because a single specimen may be
defective. This, however, is the exception that makes
the rule, " that it is a poor rule that don't work both
ways;" for it is quite proper to recommend a wood, one
specimen of which is excellent, since it is certain that
others of equal merit can be had, and probably with but
little difficulty.

The Dagame, when sawn into sticks, resembled lance-
wood so closely in grain and color as to make it difficult
to distinguish between them. It seems, however, inclined
to take on a browner shade from exposure to the air, bo
that it is probable this resemblance will diminish with
time. The grain was very straight, altogether free from
knots, especially those small knots sometimes called

Bods and Bod Ma4;erial. 201

"pins," which are the bane of the worker of lancewood.
Though apparently not perfectly seasoned, yet a degree of
stiffness, elasticity, and freedom from set was shown which
would be considered remarkable in any wood. It broke
with great difficulty, and then with a wiry fibrous fract-
ure — resembling hickory in this respect. Compared with
a stick of approved greenheart of equal size, the Dagame
showed no inferiority that I could detect, while it was
certainly much lighter, and I thought decidedly stronger.
Should I praise this wood in terms as high as I believe
this sample would justify me in doing, I fear I might be
deemed extravagant.

I presented the well-known physicist, Professor Alfred
M. Mayer, of the Stevens Institute of Technology, au-
thor of that superb book, " Sport with Gun and Rod,"
with some which he converted into a light minnow cast-
ing-rod, believing that in this manner the quality of the
wood could be better tested than in a fly-rod. He in-
forms me that he has used the rod extensively in black-
bass fishing, and purposely in the most unsparing man-
ner. He speaks in the highest terms of its performance,
emphasizing particularly its ability to endure the heavi-
est strains — strains which doubled it up so as to cause his
boatman again and again to beg him to spare so good
a rod, and not doom it to certain destruction — and this
with perfect impunity and entire apparent freedom from
set. Should I express myself in its favor in as decided
terms as I am tempted to do, not even then would his
encomiums be exceeded. At all events it is well worthy
the rod-maker's attention, especially for tips.

PURPLBHEART.

All travellers in British Guiana enlarge on the mag-

aoa Fhy^ods a/ad FVy-tacTde.

nificence of this tree, growing as it does to the largest
size, straight as an arrow, and without a branch for sixty
feet or more. Its wood is universally commended by
them as of great beauty, durability, strength, and elastic-
ity. Black greenheart and purpleheart were the only
woods that withstood the concussion of service when
used for mortar-beds at the siege of Fort Bourbon, Mar-
tinique. From the bark of this tree the natives con-
struct their '^ wood-skin " canoes, some of which are large
enough to carry twenty-five people in smooth water. It
is also a favorite bow- wood of the Indians. It appears to
be unknown in this country, none of the dealers seeming
ever even to have heard of it — at least as far as I can
ascertain.

From the concurrent testimony of many travellers,
covering nearly one hundred years, it seems unquestion-
able that this wood is of great value for our purpose, and
since it may be had quite as easily as greenheart, both
being in common use in that colony, I commend it to the
attention of rod-makers. I regret that I am unable to
give its specific gravity or describe the wood more ex-
actly. As to the first it is heavier than water, and as to
the second it is purple in color.

Composite rods of many different materials I have ex-
perimented upon, with much labor but less profit.

Cedar, inlaid with four strips of split-bamboo set in
edgewise to a depth as near to the centre of the joint as
possible, was the first effort in this direction. This was
imitated from a beautiful rod made by that most excel-
lent amateur rod and fly maker, Mr. J. James Hyde, of
New York City.

A like combination of bamboo and mahoe was tried.

Bods cmd Rod Material, 208

Both of these yielded good results. But having at that
time adopted, and intending in the future to adhere to,
one fixed size for my ferrules, so that my joints and tips
should be interchangeable, the object sought was to so
stiffen these two woods that a reduction to the standard
diameter, without excessive reduction in length, would be
possible. As far as this was concerned they were a fail-
ure, and were consequently dropped. Then flat steel
hoop-skirt wire was substituted for the bamboo. This
experiment gave me more trouble than any in my experi-
ence of rod-making; for not only was the construction of
a special plane first necessary to channel out the very
narrow grooves to receive the flat wire edgewise, but
some kind of a guide had to be devised to direct the
channel down the exact centre of the stick, and this af-
ter the stick had been tapered, since when the tempered
steel was in position planing was at an end. But the gain
in stiffness and strength did not compensate for the in-
creased weight. The rod, to my hand, felt top-heavy and
unpleasant.

This latter effort is mentioned that, should another ex-
periment in the same direction, he may profit by and
avoid my mistakes. It is to be understood that the flat
steel strip was set into the wood edgewise, and so that its
upper edge was flush with the surface. I used a strip of
even width, supposing that, since the taper of the wood
would separate the four steel strips farther and farther
apart, this would graduate the stiffness nicely and in the
desired manner — on the principle of the truss. This
turned out to be an error, and to him who feels dis-
posed to venture in this direction is offered the advice to
taper the width of his strips with a file before insertion.
Gutta-percha gum, either alone or, if on cooling it does

204 Fly-rods and Fly-tackle.

not harden suflSciently, mixed with someBargundy pitch,
will be found a good cement to secure the steel in place,
since it is extremely adhesive both to wood and metal,
is perfectly water-proof, and, in addition, melts at a low
temperature.

Wooden rods with a steel core are not unknown, but I
have never seen one.

For convenience of comparison, the specific gravities,
before given under their appropriate materials, are ar-
ranged in tabular form in the order of their weights,
the heaviest first (p. 151). The weight of a cubic foot of
each is also given in pounds and hundredths of a pound.
Those specific gravities not marked with an asterisk,
were computed with the kind assistance of Messrs.
S. E. Hopkins and Wallace G. Levison, Director of the
Cooper Institute Laboratory. Distilled water was the
standard.

The determinations were made with great care, and
are believed to be reliable for the specimens tested to at
least the third decimal place. Different samples of the
same species differ somewhat in weight, but those tested
in this instance were of woods carefully selected for the
express purpose of rod-making, and were as nearly as
possible the very best of their kind. Therefore it is
believed that they, and the relative weights determined
from them, more correctly represent the material used
in fly-rods, than would anything selected at random in
the market, or any table computed thereon.

The specimens of split-bamboo were of excellent qual-
ity, and of my own preparation. The six-strip hexagonal
piece was taken from an old and well-tried middle joint.
The angles of this were very slightly rounded. The
four-strip piece was put together with the rind inside.

Bods and Hod Material.

205

for the purpose of comparison. The cedar was from a
very choice Florida specimen.

Material

Specific
Gravity.

Weight or 1
Cabic Foot.

Snakewood

Beefwood

Bethabara

♦Ironwood

*Iroul>ark

*Chow

Greenheart (dark-colored)

♦Jucaro Prieto

Lanoewood

♦Kranji

Split-bamboo : Six-strip hexagoual, rind outside

Bois d'Arc

Split-bamboo : Four-strip, rind inside

Qreenheart (light-colored)

*Dagame

Shadblow

Paddlewood

Ironwood (Hombeatn)

Hickory

Ash

*Pingow

Mahoc

Cedar (Florida)

1.8718
1.8090
1.2140
1.1Y6
1.142
1.116
1.0908
1.08
1.0385
1.029
.9916
.9690
.9678
.9643
.90
.8620
.8368
.8184
.7968
.7786
.748
.6607
.6396

86.74
81.81
76.88
73.60
71.37
69.76
68.18
67.30
64.69
64.31
61.96
60.66
60.49
60.26
66.10
63.87
62.27
61.16
49.77
48.66
46.76
41.29
39.98

To facilitate computation, as is customary where abso-
lute accuracy is not required, the weight of a cubic foot
of distilled water was taken at 62.5 pounds. This table
does not bear out the statement heretofore made that
the ironbark wood was lighter than greenheart. The
comparison was then made with Mr. Laslett's specimens
of greenheart, which were considerably heavier (71.81
pounds to the cubic foot) than those tested by me. At-
tention has been called before to the fact that different

a06 Fly-rods a/iid Fly-tacMe.

samples of the same variety of wood vary considerably
in weight, due largely, doubtless, to difference in season-
ing. I have seen specimens of lancewood, of apparently
equal density, some of which would float, while others
would sink in ordinary well-water.

The same may be said as to the hexagonal split-bam-
boo. Since the rind of this is heavier and the pithy por-
tion lighter than water, it follows that the specific gravi-
ty of any portion of such a rod must vary as the relative
proportions of these constituents vary. Therefore this
must be greatest at the end of the tip, and thence gradu-
ally diminish towards the handle. It is believed, how-
ever, that the average specific gravity of a good eight-
ounce rod of this description will approximate closely to
the figures of the table.

Since the foregoing was written, the United States
Forestry Department has conducted a series of timber
tests extending over more than six years. In scope,
thoroughncsH, and the perfection of the testing methods
and appliances used, this series of investigations is said
never to have been equalled in its field.

The following facts extracted from the Department
reports may possibly interest those who make wooden
,.Q(\s — particularly those who procure their own mate-
rial.

The main factor in determining the strength of dif-
ferent specimens of wood of the same kind is its dry-
ness. When air-dry a given stick will be about seventy-
five per cent, stronger than when green or water-soaked.
The reason of this is very plain. The strength of the
wood depends upon the strength of the material — the
cells— of which it is composed. Moisture softens and
consequently weakens the cell walls.

Rods and Bod Material. 207

lliat rod material should be thoroughly dry when
made up is, therefore, very important. Absolutely dry
wood cannot be had. Destruction sets in before all
moisture is expelled. Wood dried as far as it will dry
at a temperature of 120** F. will still lose moisture if
raised to the temperature of 200° F. Thoroughly dried
under cover in the open air, wood still contains about
twelve per cent, of moisture ; in a dwelling-house, arti-
ficially warmed, from eight to ten per cent. Wood may
be further dried at a temperature not exceeding 120° F.
without injury. An inch stick takes twice as long to
reach a given dryness as a half -inch stick.

So far the lesson is plain. We are to cut our sticks
as small as possible, dry them gradually to prevent sea-
son cracks, first air-drying them outdoors, then in a
warm place indoors, and finally, if we .can find a good
hot place, giving them some days of that.

But wood absorbs moisture from the atmosphere even
on the driest of days. Dry it with all care, and then
allow it to lie about at ordinary temperatures, and it
will begin to absorb moisture and deteriorate — rapidly
at first, more slowly afterwards. Also, as far as strength
is concerned, it makes no difference whether the wood
is green or whether it has been dried in the best man-
ner and afterwards allowed to become moist. The cell
walls are equally softened and weakened in either
case.

Again, the lesson is plain. After finishing a joint,
except, perhaps, the very last touch in fitting the fer-
rules, we are to give it another dose of the hot place
and varnish it as speedily as possible after removal
therefrom.

Two or more points from the same source deserve

208 Fly-rods a/nd Fhf-tacJde.

notice. Wood from the trunk of a tree is more dense
and stronger than that from the limbs or upper part of
the tree. Also of two equally dry specimens of the
same wood, that is the stronger which is the heavier —
or, in other words, the cell walls are thicker in the
heavier sample, and it therefore contains more strength-
giving material to the same bulk.

And now, to conclude this subject, I would most ear-
nestly recommend the following to the consideration of
all who contemplate the purchase of a fly-rod.

First : Buy the very best and nothing else.

Second : Insist on the independent handle. By " in-
dependent handle " is meant one so united to the butt-
joint by a ferrule that the rod may be turned half-way
around in the handle and back again at frequent inter-
vals while fishing — say every half -hour anyway, and al-
ways immediately after the rod has been subjected to a
heavy strain. Thus the rod is used with the rings above
and below in frequent alternation, the strains to which
the rod is subject offset and neutralize one another, and
the rod will retain throughout its life that perfect iden-
tity of action on both the forward and back cast, the
lack of which, in my judgment, is one of the very worst
faults a fly-rod can have. If I have ever seen a rod
wherein the butt-joint and handle were in one piece,
which had not this defect after even two seasons^ real
use, it certainly has escaped my recollection.

Third : If you already have a rod that suits you, do
not buy another, but build up on the old rod by adding
duplicate interchangeable parts to it. If economy is an
object, add a new middle joint now, and a tip or two
when next inclined to buy, and so on. Do not accumu-

Bods and Rod Material. 209

late a number of independent non-interchangeable rods,
for if you do you will not dare to go on any extended
trip without a bundle of rods as big as your leg, whereas
you will be really safer with a package an inch and a
half in diameter if the foregoing plan is followed.

Fourth : If economy is not an object, then buy a
strictly first-class rod with an independent handle, two
butt joints, three middles, and five tips, all parts inter-
changeable. This is enough for a trip to the North
Pole, and with reasonable care and repair will last a
lifetime. But before going into it on any such whole-
sale scale, be sure that you know what you want and
that you are getting it.

I cannot too earnestly recommend this method of
procedure. I speak from experience when I say that
in the long run it will be money in the pocket, a con-
venience in travel, and confer that peace of mind whicli
arises from the sense of being well prepared for every
emergency.

210 Fly-rods and Fly4acJde.

CHAPTER Vn.

ROn-MAKIIfG.

This chapter differs nothing from the others of this
booky in that it does not presume to direct^ instrnct, ad-
monish, or advise the initiated, whether professional or
amateur.

If he who proposes for the first time to occupy his
leisure during the close season with the amusement of
rod-making/finds encouragement and aid in its precepts,
the purpose for which it was written will be fully an-
swered.

Before proceeding with specific directions, a word of
caution.

Do not expect at the first effort and without experi-
ence to rival the production of the trained mechanic,
guided by the skill acquired through years of daily prac-
tice, for this will but result in disappointment and dis-
couragement. Be but patient in your labor, never hurry-
ing or slighting your work; honest to yourself in the selec-
lection of your material, and honest to the material you
select in your work upon it; and though the result may
for some time lack the beauty of finish of that of the pro-
fessional rod-maker, still your work will have one great
merit which his too often lacks — though the apparel
may be less attractive, real intrinsic worth will still be
there.

Do not suppose because his tools are few and simple,

Rod-makmg. 2li

and perhaps somewhat primitive as compared to those of
the present day, that you can or should use the same.
You are handicapped by your lack of preliminary train-
ing in their use, at least as applied to the purpose in
band, and all the aid to be derived from the best possible
tools will be required to overcome this.

Your planes must be strictly first-class, and for this
purpose the " Bailey " planes, made by the Stanley Rule
and Level Company, are far superior to any others which
I have seen. In my own work I consider them indispens-
able. These planes are of iron, are true on the bot-
tom, and the bit is thin and easily sharpened. But their
greatest merit for our purpose consists in that the set of
the bit is governed by turning a screw, so that the thick-
ness of the shaving can be instantly regulated at will, and
to the utmost nicety. These may be had at almost any
hardware dealer's, or may be ordered direct from the com-
pany, at No. 29 Chambers Street, New York City. It ad-
vertises, if the list-price be sent with the order, to forward
to any part of the United States at its expense. Though
the first cost of these planes is in excess of the wooden
plane, their great superiority for our purpose renders
them far cheaper in the end.

If it is proposed to work both wood and split-bamboo,
two sizes will be required — a fourteen-inch (No. 5 on their
price-list, at 13.75) and a six-inch (No. 1 on their price-
list, at 12.25). The former you will mainly use in work-
ing wood, the latter upon split-bamboo; but the purchase
of both is strongly recommended, no matter with what
you intend to deal, since at times in the progress of every
rod you will find one serve far better than the other. A
third plane, about three and a quarter inches long, made
by the same company (No. 60 on their price-list, at forty-

212 Fly-Toda and Fly-tackle.

five cents), will be found exceedingly conyenient in roand-
ing and altering wooden joints.

You will also require a ten -inch "mill -saw" file, a
Morse twist-drill one-sixteenth of an inch in diameter,
and means for driving it — say a common brace — ^and a
true surface to plane on. You must also have a few
scraps of thin saw-steel, which a broken saw will well
supply. If no broken saw is at hand, look in some
trades-paper for the advertisement of a saw-maker, and
order them from him, but be sure you ask for thin tem-
pered stuff. Or you may buy a steel wood-scraper, such
as cabinet-makers use, at any hardware store ; but these
seem generally to be inferior to
[V>^^-/^'*'^'^'-^'^'^'^^ the saw-steel for our use. Having
2 \ obtained these steel scraps, lay

rLv ^ ^ \ them on a flat surface, and file a

j^ jj^ number of round notches of vari-

ous sizes around the edge, thus:
finishing with a pretty fine file. File at a right angle with
the steel, and sharpen when dull in the same manner.

By scraping the joint with this tool after rounding
with the plane, you will easily make your joints circular,
and be able to dispense with an expensive set of grooved
planes. This scraper must be inclined to the joint when
used ; a moment's trial will determine the angle at which
it cuts best.

A few other tools will be required, to be described at
that stage in the process to which they are applicable.
If not already done, the chapter on Rods should be
read in conjunction with this, since such special pecul-
iarities in working as each material was thought to pos-
sess, have been there stated.

As to those materials, it may be said once for all that

Rod-makmg, 218

an excellent rod can be made from almost any of them.
If the stuff is good of its kind, the result depends upon
the proportionate thickness and taper used. And here
you have a decided advantage over the professional rod-
maker. He makes his rods to earn his daily bread.
Often he must select the worse when a better course is
well known to him, and this to meet the real or fancied
whim of the ordinary purchaser, upon whom he relies to
dispose of his goods.

Among these may be mentioned the actual or sup-
posed requirement that the butt, middle joint, and tip
shall each be of equal length. This certainly has some-
thing in its favor, since, when the rod is apart, each
joint lends support to the others against accident in
transportation. But a little lengthening of the tip-case
will accomplish the same result, unless it be in carrying
the rod from the temporary lodging-place of the angler
to the stream he intends to fish, when the tip-cas^ is
usually left behind. The life of a rod is in the middle
joint ; and by the usual method the ferrule uniting the
butt to that joint is about as injuriously located as it
well can be. It is advisable, therefore, to compromise on
this, and make the butt as short and the middle joint as
long as the distance you expect to carry your rod to
water, and the risk and inconvenience of your usual
means of travel, will permit.

Another fashion which you will do well to eschew is
the struggle for excessive lightness. Some seem to
fancy that an angler is entitled to rank in the brother-
hood in inverse proportion to the weight of rod he uses,
and that irrespective of the waters to be fished. But
such is not the opinion of the judicious. He views with
a smile of pity the effort to make a wooden rod with its

214 Fly-rods and Fly-taclde.

solid handle, as light or lighter than a split-bamboo of
equal length, with its hollow half-cedar gripe. To save
weight, or, what is equivalent, leverage against the an-
gler, by shortening the rod as far as is consistent with
perhaps a little more than a fair working cast, is wise.
For who wishes to lug useless weight all day long to no
good purpose ; the same end, and with far less incon-
venience, would be accomplished by filling the pockets
with stones. Ten feet, or ten feet six inches, I believe
to be quite sufficient length to give to any single-handed
fly-rod. With this, ordinary skill can handle sixty feet
of line at a pinch; and we all know that in actual fishing
nine hundred and ninety casts out of a thousand wnll
fall within forty measured feet. When you read or
hear (as you have or will) of an angler wading down
stream, or sitting in a boat, and casting seventy feet as
a mere matter of course, and not at all aside from his
usual practice, you may feel confident those feet were
of other than the English standard.

The skilled angler limits his cast by preference to that
distance, within which he can without effort deliver a
fair straight line and a light fly. It is only he who oc-
cupies debatable ground, who while not quite a green-
horn is yet by no means an angler, whom you will see,
in boat or on stream, needlessly swishing his sixty or
seventy feet of line. Better by far to cast fifty feet
clean and clear, than to boggle about at sixty or sixty-
five, and then by some happy combination of circum-
stances, and after repeated effort, at last reach even
eighty. With excellent and protracted opportunity to
observe many very skilful anglers, I cannot recall one
single instance of a cast in actual fishing that would ex-
ceed sixty-five measured feet. Not that many of these

RodrmaJdng. 215

could not considerably surpass that distance, bnt the
effort would have been purposeless and was not made.
Bnt this is a digression. Let us return to rod-making.

Give your rod nerve — backbone — so that when you
take it in hand it feels as if the tip were absolutely under
conmiand, even when weighted with forty feet of the
line it is proposed to use. It should be pliable, and
when swung horizontally, holding the handle quite still,
it should work evenly from the butt, and with a constant
and even increase of uniform action quite to the tip.
Look first to this, then give it as much lightness as the
material you use will permit. Should you by accident
or mistake carry the latter so far as to impair the former,
shorten the middle joint at the smaller end. An inch
or two will make a wonderful difference in this respect.
Every way better and more efficient is a rod of nine feet
six inches, of just proportion and true action, than a
faulty one of ten feet six.

Now let us lay out our rod. It will be noticed I give
no sizes for ferrules. Almost any size within reason
may be used, depending solely on where you place them.
But one direction in this respect is of any practical
value; all else will determine itself. Begin the taper
of the rod as near the handle as possible, that with the
length you have determined on, you may make the
greatest possible proportion of that length efficient.
Through neglect of this, many a rod which actually
measures a good eleven feet, is practically the inferior
of one of six inches or even a foot less. It is the part
that springs — the part that works that does the business;
therefore make your handle short, and give as much action
to the butt joint as you can, but always retaining perfect
command of the upper portion of the rod.

216 Fly-^ods and Fly-tacMe.

It must be admitted that many excellent anglers prefer
a " top-heavy '* rod — one weak in the middle joint. They
say it casts more easily. This may he, doubtless is, true
as far as they are concerned, for habit will reconcile man
to anything except the toothache. But that a beginner
will find this so may well be questioned. Conceding,
however, this point, there is no other one thing which a
fly-rod should do, in which such a rod is not at a disad-
vantage. It is neither so sure on the strike, nor so cer-
tain in the hold. It will not begin to give the angler the
same all - important control of a heavy fish; while the
curve it assumes under strain, instead of being a thing
of beauty, is an eyesore to every one but its infatuated
owner. It is as sightly as a broken-backed steamboat,
and not a whit more so.

For a twelve-foot fly-rod, half an inch in diameter at
the point where the taper begins is quite sufficient. For
a rod of ten and a half feet, fifteen thirty - seconds of
an inch is ample. Start then with this, and procure the
ferrule, to be placed immediately above the handle, of a
corresponding size. Should you find the butt joint too
stiflE when the rod is together, you can reduce it by a
sudden taper immediately above the ferrule.

Now lay out your work, thus : Take a smooth pine
board, say four feet long. Mark the diameter of the in-
side of your butt ferrule at one end, and of the small
end of your tip at the other, separated by a distance in
inches easily divisible as shown in the illustration on the
opposite page (Fig. 34).

Length of rod 10 feet 6 inches, equals 126 inches; less
length of handle, 10 inches, equals 116 inches; divide
this into a number of equal parts — 13 will answer well —
making each division bear the same proportion to the

Rodrmahmg.

217

length of the diagram, that 9 inches does
to the working length of the rod — 116
inches (so very nearly that we may neg-
lect the error). Draw straight lines at
a right angle to the axis of the rod at
each of these 13 divisions, and number
them as in the diagram, calling each
space so formed 9 inches long. It will
be seen that we have thus determined
the diameter of the rod for every 9
inches of its working length; and that
to find what it should be at any point —
say 54 inches from the handle, for ex-
ample — ^all we have to do is to measure
the perpendicular line at the point 54,
and we have it.

From the diagram already constructed
you have determined where the ferrules
shall be located, and also the inner di-
ameter of the outside or female ferrule.
Now having cut your wood about an
inch longer than the ultimate length of
the proposed joint, square it with the
plane. Then
drill two holes,
a and b (Fig.
35), through
each of the
joints at right
angle with one
another: one, say at half an inch, and
the other at three-quarters from that
which is to be the larger end.

Incben.
0..

9..

18..

27..

86..

45..

64..

Hin.

68.

72..

81.

90..

99.

108.

116..

tVJn.

218 Fly^ods and Fly4acJcle.

Provide a piece of brass wire a little smaller than the
holes, from which yon are to make a pin, and drive it
into your planing-board. By placing the holes over the
pin you will be able to hold your joint while planing ;
and the strain will be a pull, and not a push, as would
be the case if your joint was kept in place in the usual
manner, by butting the end against a support. Thus
your joint will be less likely to crook, or break under the
plane. But before beginning to plane, you should pre-
pare gauges to caliper the joint from time to time dur-
ing the progress of the work.

Take a thin piece of metal — brass is best — and file in

its edges thirteen square notches, each equal in width to

the length of one of the perpendicular lines in your dia-

_ gram, as in Fig. 36. Do this

9 18 iT w « witli care, that the sides of each

* ' notch be parallel — of a depth

parallel — of a depth
^^'^- equal to their width, and of a

width exactly equal to the length of the appro-
priate line. Then number each notch to corre- I I
spond with its appropriate line ; the widest will — i

then be numbered 0, the next 9, the next 18, pi».s7
and so on. Also, by drawing a diagram for the
purpose, or by using an ordinary square, file up a small
square in a piece of brass of about three-quarters of an
inch to the side, as in Fig. 37.

You will have noticed before applying the plane
whether the wood you are about to work into a joint is
straight or not, and probably have found it crooked.
These crooks arise from unequal contraction in season-
ing, the tendency being to curve away from the heart
of the tree. They incline to be persistent, and to recur
after straightening. Therefore, if possible, plane the joint

Rodrmahmg, 319

straight. But if not, the stick must be straightened by
the aid of heat. To do this, heat the wood as hot as
you can well bear your hand upon it. Unless the stick
is small, this must be done gradually, heating it as hot
as you dare, then letting it stand a while for the exte-
rior to impart its warmth to the interior, and then, when
the surface has cooled somewhat, heating again, repeat-
ing this until it is warmed through. It can then be
straightened, and may remain straight provided no at-
tempt is made to work upon it until it is perfectly cold.
You will also often find the joint crook under the plane.
In this case, it is best to wait until the joint is finished
before correcting it. It need cause no uneasiness, since
nearly every joint before varnishing and when otherwise
finished, requires attention in this respect.

Now drive your brass pin into the planing-board, or
board upon which you propose to rest your joint when
planing it. Then, making proper allowance for the ex-
cess of length in the joint, draw a straight line on the
board equal in length to the proposed joint when finished.
Divide it up into spaces, each nine inches long, and num-
ber them plainly. By laying your joint beside this line,
you can at any moment ascertain exactly where any cal-
iper notch should be applied to determine when the
proper thickness is reached, without the trouble of meas-
uring every time. Then secure your joint by placing one
of the drill-holes over the pin, and plane away — first on
one and then on the opposite side, changing frequently
from one to the other. Use the utmost care to keep the
two sides parallel. You will know this is the case if
both edges are of like width. When you approach the
proper taper, set your plane very fine, and use your gauge
often. Be patient, remembering that haste is the sure

320 Fly-rod^ a/nd Fly-tacUe.

precursor of error. Having finished two of the sides,
plane the taper into the remaining two in like manner,
but be sure to keep the stick square.

This is the time to test your material. Bend it to-
wards each of the four sides, and don't be gingerly about
it either. If your ship must sink, let it be while you are
ashore. The strain should be applied when the taper is
almost, better still if quite, complete. Hold the bend in
the joint till you can count thirty with moderate slow-
ness. Then release it, and see if it has regained its orig-
inal shape. If it has, your wood is first-class; and con-
gratulating yourself on your good-fortune, redouble your
care that no error on your part spoil it. If it neither
splinter nor break, but does '^ set," t.e., does not resume
its original shape, the better course is to suspend it by
one end where the air will have free access to it, and let
it season for a few months. We have seen from the
conclusion of the preceding chapter that the strength
and elasticity of wood depends almost wholly upon the
amount of moisture it contains, and why this is so ; that
dried in an artificially warmed house from eight to ten
per cent, of moisture still remains ; and that wood may
be subjected to a temperature up to 120"* F. without in-
jury, and with further loss of water. If, therefore, a
hot closet is at hand where the temperature does not
exceed that given above, the joint may be suspended
there until its improved elasticity shows that it is suffi-
ciently dried out. Something, a piece of cloth for
example, should be interposed between the joint and
the source of heat to prevent one side being heated
hotter than the others, lest it dry unequally and sea-
son-crack. If the "set" is slight, you may at the
same time regret and ignore it, and proceed to finish

Rod-making, 221

the rod ; thoagh even then t&e former course is the
more judicious. The object is to obtain the greatest
strength and elasticity of which the material is capable.
To accomplish this we have learned that all moisture
must be expelled which can be driven off without over-
heating the wood. But there are other points not to be
overlooked. Dried wood absorbs moisture from the at-
mosphere with great rapidity ; and, as far as strength and
elasticity are concerned, it is immaterial whether the in-
jurious moisture is that originally present in the wood,
or is acquired by absorption from the air. To obtain the
best results, the joint should be removed from the dry-
ing-room after it has been there some time and finished
ready to varnish. Then it should be dried again for a few
days, and then removed and varnished while still warm.

Let us assume the test has been applied, and with sat-
isfactory result. Take the joint in your left hand, and
with your pocket-knife trim off the comers for about half
or three-quarters of an inch at the larger end, till you
have reduced the section of that end to an octagon,
as shown by Fig. 38 (the dotted lines represent where
your cutting is to cease).

Work a little at each edge in succession, using care
that when you finish, each of the eight sides is equal, and
your octagon perfect in form. You must by no means
in so doing touch either of the four planed sides — only
the comers are to be cut. Now, treat the smaller end in
the same way. The two ends will then serve as a guide
to inform you when you have planed the whole joint to
an octagon, which is your next step.

To do this successfully you should have a grooved
strip of pine in which to lay the joint. Any carpenter
can make one for you, or you can make it yourself by

222 Fly-rods and FVy-tacJde.

planing off the corners of two pieces of |-inch stuff, and
afterwards nailing, screwing, or gluing them together,
as in Fig. 39.

Fig. 38.

Fig. 39.

Or a strip sawn off the grooved edge of a " tongued and
grooved " board will answer, though not so well.

Now, drill two more holes as before, but this time in
the middle of the new faces; put a brass pin in the bot-
tom of the groove, hook on the joint, and plane off the
comers in turn, till the joint is octagonal throughout,
and your eje informs you that the taper is uniform. Be
careful, be patient, and don't hurry. Now, with your
small plane take off each of the eight comers, rounding
them a little, and your joint will be nearly circular.

Set it one side, and proceed to square and taper the
other joints in the same way, but not to round them till
you have taken the following step: Apply your male, or
inside, ferrule to the larger end of your middle joint or
tip. You will find it too large to enter. Turn that end
from you, and plane off a shaving or two, and the same
number, from each face, and try it again. Continue this
until small enough, using the utmost caution to avoid

RodrTrmking, 223

excess, and also to treat each side alike, lest your fer-
rules set crooked when in position. You will thus take
the taper out of a few inches at that part of your joint,
which will then be of uniform diameter, and you must
work with that end in view; for the rod is flexible, but
the ferrule is not, and this method seems best to harmo-
nize these discordant characteristics. Then reduce the
joint to an octagon, and after that test and round as be-
fore. The next step is to fit the ferrules, for which use
your scraper, file, and care. Locate the male ferrules so
that the excess of length originally allowed will protrude
beyond them; and after the ferrule is fastened, cut off
this excess. You will thus be rid of the holes, aid for
this purpose the extra length was allowed. If you get
the wood a little too small you need not break your heart
over it, since many purposely do this, and then enlarge
the wood to fit by wrapping it with thread, claiming that
the ferrules thus hold better, and are less likely to be-
come loose. If you use thread for this purpose, wind it
on evenly, so one part does not overlay another (unless
more than one layer is required to make a fit), and paste
it down with some of the cement you propose to fasten
your ferrules with. Then melt the cement thoroughly
through the thread, completely saturating it. Next warm
your ferrule, place a small piece of cement inside on that
part which is to be united to the joint, and work it about
with a small stick till the inside is coated.

In setting a female, or outside, ferrule, it must not be
pushed on beyond the proper distance, or a part of that
portion of its interior intended to receive the male fer-
rule may become coated with cement, and compel the
removal and cleansing of the ferrule. To avoid the pos-
sibility of this, prepare a piece of wood one-sixteenth of

224 Fly-rods and Fly-tacUe.

an inch longer than the entering part of the male ferrule,
and drop it inside of the female fermle when about to set
it. As that ferrule is pushed on, the wood will move be-
fore the entering joint If the last quarter of an inch is in-
serted by thrusting the ferrule against any solid substance,
the wood will strike when the proper point is reached, and
prevent the ferrule from being pushed beyond it.

Having coated both the joint and the inside of the fer-
rule, melt the cement on both, and push the ferrule into
place, giving it a twisting motion in so doing, if possible
The excess of cement (and an excess should be applied)
will be crowded before the ferrule. Then wet a knife,
that the cement may not adhere to it, and take it up for
use another time. Warm the rest till fluid, and wipe it
off clean with a rag. Should any of the thread have
been pushed down before the ferrule, be careful in' re-
moving it to make no transverse cut in the wood, for
such a cut, though hardly perceptible, will detract thirty
per cent., if not more, from the strength of the joint.

Here it might well be asked what cement should be
used. To this it may be answered, avoid shellac and
red-lead — or white-lead, or anything which sets as hard
as a stone, and which, should the joint break at the fer-
rule, will require a degree of heat sufficient to anneal the
metal before the broken piece can be pushed out.

I have used hard shoemaker's wax, gas-fittter's red-
wax, engraver's wax, marine glue. Bottom's cement, gut-
ta-percha gum, and shellac. The latter is most common-
ly used in scales, not in solution unless it be very thick.
The desiderata are a cement which will melt and release
the ferrule at a low temperature, but which will other-
wise hold fast. At the edge of the ferrules is the weak-
est part of the rod, and there at least three out of five —

Rod-making. 225

I think it would be safe to say four out of ^ye — breaks
occur. To be able to repair such damage with the aid
of a few matches and a pocket-knife, and to resume fish-
ing promptly, is therefore very important. Even though
this could be had but at the cost of ten times the time
and trouble at home, the difference of occasion and facil-
ity considered, it would still be cheap. During the win-
ter, ferrules so fastened are apt to become loose, particu-
larly if the rod has been kept in a heated room. But
ten minutes' work at the beginning of the open season
will remedy all that. If you have the ability to make a
rod, you certainly can reset the ferrules on that rod.

Avoid all fastening pins. The professional rod-makers
fancy they are necessary to the sale, or at least the repu-
tation, of their rods. Some fishermen think that any rod
they buy and pay for should stand every form of abuse,
and if it does not, the rod-maker is blamed and his work
decried. The makers know this, and that their reputation
for skilled and honest work is as sensitive as that of a
woman. It is for this class the fastening pin is intended.
You will hear each of the better known makers abused in
turn, something in this fashion : " Oh, yes, John Doe made
a good rod once upon a time, but now his business is so
grown that he trades upon his reputation, and uses any
kind of material, good, bad, and indifferent. Why, my
friend bought one of his rods, and the very first fish he
caught — and it wasn't longer than your hand — it broke;"
or, " after he had used it one season it was crooked as a
ram's horn," etc. The facts in such cases are usually
true, but they are not unfrequently cases of partial truth
only. If you knew in the one case that the fish struck
when the rod was perpendicular, so that it could not

bend ; or in the other, that the rod was habitually left
15

226 Fly-rods and Fhy-taclde,

standing or lying supported on the butt and tip alone,
or kept bent month after month in a bag tied tight
around the middle, you would draw quite a different
inference. . To such of my readers as wish to buy and
do not care to make, I would say that that maker who
has a reputation, will do his best to maintain it If he
once turned out good work, competition will force him
to do so still. If he has the skill, you may be sure he
will use it. No one knows better than he that one bad
rod will do him more harm than a hundred, first-class
in every respect, will benefit him ; and if he sells the
rod with his name upon it, he believes it, and chances
are ninety -nine out of a hundred you will find it, all
right, as far as concealed defects are concerned.

During this digression you are supposed to have fast-
ened your ferrules, for which you have had ample time.
Now, take your scraper with the semicircular notches,
and proceed to round your rod. This is soon done.
Joint your rod, put the butt joint to the handle, and with
reel in place see how it feels. If any ferrule is not in
line, warm and straighten it if you can. If you cannot,
set the rod so the crook is uppermost, i.^., so that the rod
sets upward from the straight line. If too withy, shorten
the middle joint at the small end an inch or two, and try
it again. A very little change here makes a great differ-
ence in the leverage, and consequently in the feel and
action. If still too weak, shorten the tip at the larger
end ; and if the fault still exists, shorten the small end
of the middle joint again. This method will at last
surely remedy this fault, but whether at too great a
sacrifice of length you must judge. But I would not
advise that the rod be thrown away as a failure if the
material is good, unless you are obliged to reduce it be-

jRod-making. ^

low nine feet six inches, a contingency hardly possible
if you planned a ten foot six, or even a ten-foot rod.
If too stiff, before you proceed to weaken it, impress a
friend to hold the handle, hang a weight on the tip, and
put a good smart strain on the rod. If its curve is even
and true, thin the rod all over, except the upper part of
the tip. If it is not, mark the stiff places with a pencil,
and work them off. Get a true curve first before you
begin to think of reducing the rod generally, for with-
out this a fly-rod is an abortion. When present, you
will know the strain is diffused equally, and that each
inch is contributing its best to the general integrity of
the whole. When you think the golden mean between
stiffness and flexibility is reached, if circumstances per-
mit fasten on a few rings temporarily, rig your line, and
go out on the grass, or on top of the house — any place
where you can get a clear range— and try its casting
powers. If you can borrow a good rod, or secure the as-
sistance of a friend who has one, try first one and then the
other — alter if need be, and try again ; be patient and
painstaking, and I shall be much mistaken if you do not
turn out a very respectable rod, even at your first effort.

Finish with sand-paper, first No. 1, afterwards No. 0,
turning the joint constantly, while you rub the sand-
paper longitudinally. Get a good smooth finish, for it
will save much time and trouble in varnishing, and is
essential if you wish the rod to look well.

If the material of which the rod was composed were
perfectly homogeneous, and without ferrules, strict ad-
herence to our diagram would give the desired result.
But such is never the case. No two pieces of wood are
alike, even though from the same tree. Much less then
can this be the case when the rod is composite in char-

228 FVy-Tods and Fly-tackle.

acter. Our diagram is as the place of departure to the
navigator, a fixed and known point from which to shape
our course towards a goal we cannot see. In all cases
it will require some, in no two cases the same, modifica-
tion. Here enters in the skill and personal equation of
the maker. In this I can give you no assistance, beyond
the advice to make your changes slowly — allow no de-
parture from a true curve when the rod is bent — and
insist that the action is such that the tip is absolutely
under the command of the lower portion of the rod.
Remember that a rod twelve feet, and one nine feet six
inches long, should and may have the same flexibility
and action. Some, to-day, still praise the long rod and
decry the shorter, just as some still oppose the breech-
loader. Six or seven years ago the cry was that the short
rod was fit only for short casts and baby-fishing. Now
the tune has changed, and the short rod is fit only for
long distance casting. Neither is true. Because a short
rod is desired that the excessive weight of the long rod
(or apparent weight of its greater leverage) may be
avoided, it by no means follows that resort must be had
to a poker. So again I say, give your rod all the flexi-
bility you can, but be sure it is uniform, and that you
retain beyond suspicion absolute command of the tip.
In so doing, do not overlook the fact that the rod is
weighted with the line when in use, and consequently,
that a degree of flexibility which seems excellent in the
shop may be excessive when on the stream. Hence, gov-
ern the final adjustment of the rod by actual casting, if
possible.

FEBBULBS.

It does seem as though some precise diameter should
be given for the ferrules of fly-rods, but from the very

Rod-making. 2^

nature of the case it is impossible. As well ask a tailor
for a coat of the size to fit all men.

I have used the following for years: Handle female fer-
rule, inside measurement, -j^ of an inch, length 2\ inches,
unless ferrule is sunk into the handle so only its mouth
appears. Then it should run the whole length of the
gripe, and be fastened with cement as heretofore di-
rected. This is the better construction, since then the
utmost possible length of the rod is efficient. The fe-
male ferrule uniting the butt and middle joint is ^ of
an inch inside and 2^ inches long. The female feiTule
uniting the middle joint and tip is ^ of an inch inside
and 2^ inches long. One-eighth of an inch may be taken
off these ferrules throughout the series with profit, if
the fitting is tolerably good. I vary the position of
the ferrule, uniting the butt and middle joint consider-
ably, shorteniug the butt and lengthening the middle
joint for stiff er material such as split - bamboo, green-
heart, or bethabara. These sizes I have used without
change, and find that with them, in conjunction with a
forty-one inch split-bamboo tip, I can make a rod of any
material from nine feet eight inches to ten feet six inch-
es in length, by varying the position of the juncture of
the butt and middle joint as aforesaid. The male fer-
rule on the larger end of the tip is l-j^ inches long, of
which -^ of an inch is cap. I cap all male ferrules so

that the joint at those e

ferrules may be the same, Uuiiiuvivuuww\u(w\fflumMiiMiii|^
or nearly the same, diam- a b

eter as the end of the T^a- 40.— ii, male ferrule; £,cap; c,
joint next nearer the point where male ferrule ends.

handle. The cap is united to the other portion of
the ferrule by soft solder, and for one-third its length,

230 Fly-rods and Fly-iackle.

and the shoulder formed within is removed by a reamer.
No ^shoulder should be allowed in any joint at the edge
of a ferrule ; that is, there must be no abrupt change of
diameter between the part of the joint within and that
without the ferrule. Nor should the slightest scratch
running around the joint be permitted there, or, indeed,
elsewhere, for the joint is much weakened thereby and
thereat just as a few nicks with a cold chisel weakens a
bar of steel.

When these sizes of ferrule are used with ash and
lancewood, or hickory, or ironwood, the rod, exclusive of
tip, should be divided into two equal portions, very near-
ly, to give the best result. These, and the sizes given
imder the head of Bethabara in the preceding chapter,
will furnish as precise information as it is in my power
to give. If they are followed, it is not believed any error
can result .beyond correction by local readjustment of the
taper. But if ignorance of the length and material you
propose to use, and the style of action you may prefer,
render it impossible precisely to define the diameters you
should employ, there are some other points in reference
to your ferrules which I most earnestly recommend to
your attention.

First, your ferrules should by no means exceed the
lengths already given. You may even reduce them one-
eighth of an inch with profit, if your fitting is tolerably
good. The male ferrules to correspond should not exceed
— butt ferrule, uniting same to handle, 1-^ inches; larger
end of middle joint l-j^ inches; tip has been already given.
Why you are thus advised will appear in discussing the
following points.

Second, shun the dowel-pin and its socket.

When this book was first written fully ninety-five

Rod^making. 281

per cent, of the fly-rods in use were furnished with
dowelled ferrules. Though now, in 1900, the great
majority of fly-rods have simple ferrules, I am not sat-
isfied. I would see every fly-rod so made*

AD O B

Fig. 41.— Dowelled Ferrnle : A^ eud of middle Joint; £, end of tip ; C, dowel ;
D, its socket.

F!g. 42.— Simple Ferrnle.

You will at once perceive the simplicity of the one,
and the complexity of the other construction. Properly
to make and adjust the dowels and their sockets without
the use of a lathe, requires more skill and care than to
make a split-bamboo tip. Special tools, at least a special
reamer for each sized dowel, is absolutely necessary to
form each corresponding socket — tools altogether dis-
pensed with if the simple ferrule is used. Unless, there-
fore, the dowelled ferrule offer very decided advantages
over the simple ferrule — unless it is practically impossi-
ble to make a good serviceable rod without the dowelled
ferrule, your choice has already been made, and I have
your verdict.

But not only do I hope to show that a rod, at least as
good in every respect, can be made with the simple
ferrule; but that the dowel is a useless, a mistaken, and
a disadvantageous construction — injurious alike to the
action and to the endurance of the rod. Therefore, to all
of the great brotherhood of anglers who may favor me

333 Fly -rods cmd Fly4acJde.

with their attention, I now address myself, asking but a
patient hearing and a just and impartial decision.

1st. It is an elementary principle of fishing lore, that a
one-piece rod without any joints whatever, is the most
uniform in action, and efficient in use. But convenience
of transportation, since it is given to but few to cast the
fly at their own threshold, precludes such a rod. Never-
theless it is, confessedly, the ideal rod, and the nearer it
can be approached, the better. So far there will be little
difference of opinion.

Unquestionably the chief feature to which the merit of
such a rod is due, is the absence of stiff and inelastic
places therein. Its bend is uniform from one end to the
other. This can be approached in a jointed rod only by
reducing the inelastic portions to a minimum; or, in other
words, by shortening the ferrules to the utmost extent
consistent with safety. If this is so, it is conclusive that
the dowelled ferrule is, in this, inferior to one without
dowels, since not only must the ferrule itself be longer,
but it must be capped at the junction of the ferrule and
joint as well, thus further prolonging the unbendable por-
tions of the rod.

2d. Though little complaint can now be made of the
prices asked for good rods, considering the really elegant
workmanship displayed and the great difficulty and ex-
pense of obtaining fit material — a difficulty and outlay
not justly appreciated by the uninitiated — still the pur-
chaser might with propriety wish the benefit of any
diminution of cost which neither impaired the value of
the rod, nor lessened the already reasonable profit of the
maker.

The dowelled ferrule and its mate practically consist
of two ferrules, one cap for female ferrule, metal dowel

Rod-maldng. 388

fitted to end of joint, wooden dowel within, and on which
the metal dowel is fitted, boring out recess to receive
dowel, and lining same with metal.

The simple ferrule and its mate are two pieces of plain
tubing, one fitted to enter the other. As the male fer-
rule in either case may or may not be capped, such cap
is not included in the above enumeration.

Therefore it is clear that, as far as cheapness of con-
struction is concerned, the dowelled ferrule is at a disad-
vantage.

3d. It will not be questioned that a large majority of
breakages take place at the ferrules. Nor will facility
of repair be lightly valued by any one who has once
met with this accident when distant from the repairer,
and after a considerable journey to his favorite stream.

To repair the dowelled ferrule on the ground, in camp,
or at such lodgings as trouting regions usually afford,
presents these difiiculties. If the break is above the male
ferrule, it becomes necessary to shorten the rod by the
length of both dowel and ferrule, to say nothing of ex-
tracting the broken wood from the metal parts, and the
nice fitting required to make even a temporary success
of the job. If the ferrule is secured by that abomination,
a pin, the difficulty is increased. It must be borne in
mind that not only must the wooden spike, upon which
the metal dowel is to be placed, be made central and in
line with the axis of the rod, but it must fill the metal
nearly or quite its whole length, and also fit tight therein.
Otherwise, in the first case, the rod will not come together
so as to be safe against that most disgusting mishap of
throwing apart ; while in the second case, when the rod
is unjointed, the metal dowel will remain behind in its
socket

284 Fly-Tod^ a/nd Fly4ackle.

Again, shortening a favorite rod between the butt and
middle joint by two inches or more, will so change the
action as to make its owner fairly sick at heart.

On the other hand, if the rod breaks below the ferrule,
he is even more helpless; for aside from ridding the
ferrule and cap of the broken portion, how is the tapered
hole to be bored to receive the dowel ? Yet unless this is
done somehow, the dowel will strike against the end of
the joint within the ferrule, and the male ferrule, if it
enter at all, will not do so sufficiently to permit the rod
to be used.

Again and again have I known this accident to occur,
and never knew it to be remedied short of some kind of
a shop ; while, except in a few rare cases and with com-
mon rods of little value, it has been a case of immediate
quarantine, and subsequent hospital treatment by a pro-
fessional rod doctor.

But if a jod provided with the simple ferrule is so
broken, a few matches softens the cement which retains
the ferrule in position, the broken piece is pushed out,
and the ferrule replaced with the very minimum loss in
U^iigfli, and that by the merest tyro in repairs. And in
lifu«t'ii or twirtty minutes he goes on his way, if not re-
joicing, i^iill ti'»t a fit candidate for a mad-house. Here
*iurfly ilu* ridvaritage is not with the dowelled ferrule.

4th. Hut it strengthens the rod:

A san^* man would hardly anchor a sixteen-foot cat-
boat with :i frigate's best bower anchor, though that
woulil iiniloulttt ^Uy strengthen that boat's hold on the bot-
tom. Arnl j*«^ if without the dowel and its complications
the rcqiH^iite strength can be obtained, it would scarcely
gjgiga Domnioii 8en8e to retain it for that reason alone.
JP<ir twenty^five years I have used the simple fer-

Rod-making. 335

rules. That on the end of the butt joint is scant two
and a half inches long, and made from metal of the thick-
ness of an ordinarily heavy visiting-card, and consider-
ably thinner than any other make of ferrule that I have
ever noticed on a fly-rod. Yet I am unsparing in my
demands upon a rod. When the September sun is just
about to vanish behind the hills of Western Maine, there
comes a time when all that gambling spirit which actu-
ates enterprise in man, takes possession of that angler so
fortunate as to be on the ground. He wants no third or
fourth prize in the lottery. His casts are for the first,
or at least a good second — five pounds, no less, will pass;
while if beneath the water there is any sense whatever
of the fitness of things, it is the plain duty of an eight
or ten pounder to offer.

At such an appointed time, and it is brief at best,
minutes are precious, and a two and a half or three pound-
er — anything which it is humanly possible to derrick
with the tackle in use — is reeled in and got rid of without
the slightest ceremony, and with the reverse of thanks
for its attentions. I have done my share of this with
simple ferrules, and never yet has one bent or given
way. It is to be borne in mind that before a tube will
bend it must collapse, and if the rod is so put together
that the ends of the joints within the metal are close to-
gether (say one- eighth to one-sixteenth of an inch, which
is quite ample to allow for wear), it is plain that to bend
the ferrule will require a power almost equal to the ten-
sile strength of the metal itself, a strain to which, in use,
no fly-rod is ever even approximately subject. It would,
therefore, appear that in this particular the simple fer-
rule, properly constructed and applied, is practically quite
the equal of its dowelled rival.

236 Fly-rod^ wnd Fly-tackle,

5th. It strengthens the rod ! And this is the only as-
sertion in its favor I have ever been able to elicit.

But is this assertion true? I believe that it is not
only false, but that the direct contrary is the truth. A
ferrule may be able to endure any possible strain with
impunity, while the rod to which it is applied may be as
brittle as a pipe-stem. Of course the weakest point in
the rod measures the strength of the rod.

This is just the case in point. A doweDed ferrule in
itself is undoubtedly stronger than a simple ferrule, but
the rod to which it is applied is weakened thereby, and
is not as strong as it would be were a simple ferrule of
proper construction substituted in its place. The stnun
brought on the unyielding metal is localized and concen-
trated at its extremities. The ferrule and its mate act
as one single lever, in which the power is applied at one
end, while the fulcrum is at the other. It is elementary
and axiomic that the longer the lever the greater will be
its power. If the effort which the lever transmits exceeds
the endurance of its fulcrum (in this case the timber at
the lower edge of the ferrule), the latter will surely be
crushed, i, e.y the rod will break at the ferrule.

This simple principle of natural philosophy seems to
demonstrate that, other things being equal, the introduc-
tion of any ferrule weakens a rod, and that a longer fer-
rule weakens a rod more than a shorter; since with equal
pull at the tip, more strain is concentrated at the end of
a long ferrule (or lever) than at the end of a short fer-
rule (or lever).

It is a corollary to this that in all jointed rods the
points where the ferrules terminate, are subject to a de-
gree of strain considerably in excess of the proportion
due to their location — or in other words, in excess of the

Rod-making. 287

strain imposed at the same point, under like conditions,
upon a like single-piece un jointed rod.

Therefore, fracture at those points should be more com-
mon than at others ; and that such is the fact every one
knows. Our theory tells us such should be the result — our
experience shows such is the result. Therefore, it would
seem the theory has stood the regulation verification by
experiment, and that it may be safely accepted as sound.

A dowelled ferrule must of necessity be long ; a sim-
ple ferrule may and should be short. Wherefore it again
appears the verdict must be against the dowel.

But it may be justly urged, the simple ferrule is not
new ; Thaddeus Norris used it years ago, and advocated
it in his most excellent book " The American Angler."
You have had your say against the dowelled ferrule.
What do its adherents charge against the simple ferrule ?

They charge that the simple ferrule will work loose and
throw apart, or bend, or burst open when subjected to a
sudden strain. It must be admitted that in the first charge
they have the inferential support of no less an authority
than Mr. Norris himself ; for though silent in words, he
nevertheless recommends and figures in his book ferrules
provided with small hooks, so that they can be lashed
together, obviously to guard against this accident.

These are the standing and only objections of those who
favor the dowelled ferrule ; and,if answerable, they should
be met. They have each,however,one inherent weakpoint.
T%ey are each and every one of them devoid of truth.

What man who forms his judgment on the merits, and
not from prejudice — and it is to such only that it is worth
while to appeal — will for a moment think of taking a
poorly fitted simple ferrule of inferior material (when

238 Fly-rods and Fly-tacTde.

perfect-fitting and good material is easily to be had), as a
standard from which to form a true opinion of its merits?
Would the reader think it fair-play should a visitor to
his country judge its inhabitants from the most debased
of the population, and declare that all were of that stripe,
and that the people of the United States were the scum
of the earth ? I think not. And, as he would justly pro-
test against such an expression 'as an outrage, so do I
protest against these charges, and for the same reason.

Besides quite a number that I still retain, there are
many rods of my own make in use, presents to friende.
The ferrules of all these are short and without dowels,
and all made from german-silver tubing drawn inside
and out. None of them are furnished with any device
whatever, except the mere cohesion of the inner within
the outer ferrule, to hold them together when in use.
Never in twenty years and more of my own experience,
nor, I believe, in that of those using my rods, has a fer-
rule either split or bent, or a joint thrown apart. And
yet I am but an amateur maker, a professional man with-
out mechanical training, resorting to rod-making merely
as an amusement. It stands to reason that a trained me-
chanic could do better work. Besides, the fen'ules used
by me for the last five years were drawn too large in the
first instance ; and in subsequently reducing the diamc-
ter, the thickness was also reduced, resulting in a much
thinner ferrule that I proposed — certainly not heavier than
an ordinary visiting-card. Therefore we have not here
the best possible of either work or material, as a criterion
of the merits of the simple ferrule.

These rods have not been used solely against the small
fish of the ordinary mountain brook, but much more
largely in those waters of Maine where, I believe, it is

Rod-inakmg. 239

admitted that the American species of brook-trout at-
tain a size not elsewhere found, or at any rate, only in
the Nepigon River of Lake Superior.

In September, 1883, a friend fastened a trout of four
and a half pounds (weighed to the ounce, and not guessed
at) in a dangerous place, and not only held him without
giving an inch of line, but hung to him until his guide
took the boat into clear water and towed the fish after.

The rod used on that occasion was a greenheart, with
split-bamboo tip, nine feet eight inches long, and united
by simple ferrules made by me during that year, and in
the manner described. The rod and its ferrules, as far
as the eye and constant subsequent use could determine,
were as good as new.

It will be admitted, I think, that this was a pretty fair
test. But it by no means stands alone in my remem-
brance. I could instance dozens of other occasions where
these ferrules have withstood the severest and most sud-
den strains, and always without damage.

Should I assert that if a man fell from a window he
would not reach the ground, but fly off into space, and
forever after gyrate in an orbit around the moon, you
would unhesitatingly assert that it was not true. You
have seen bodies fall before, and are familiar with the
course they will take. For the same reasons, I assert em-
phatically ihaJt it 18 not true that the simple ferrule, if
properly made (and this is a much easier matter than to
make a good dowelled ferrule), will either throw apart

I have made perhaps a dozen salmon rods, some of Da-
game wood and some of split bamboo, from 15 feet 3
inches to 15 feet 6 inches in length. All were jointed with
simple ferrules of my own make. All have been subjected
to severe and protracted usage, and not one has failed.

240 Fly^ods and ny4ackle.

Still, the charge that the simple fermle will throw
apart has some foundation in fact, and it is this : Some
make and advocate the use of a form of simple ferrule,
which, for the sake of a name, I will call the '' hour-glass ^
ferrule. By this I mean a ferrule in which the diame-
ter of the bore diminishes from both ends towards and
to the middle. Alive to the fact that a fit is desirable,
they hope to insure this by thus tapering the bore .of the
female ferrule, and giving a corresponding conical form
to its mate.

But let us analyze this construction for a moment
We have here a conical plug entering a conical hole. It
is obvious that the plug may and will enter some dis-
tance before any contact occurs. It is also clear that
when contact does take place, but a very slight farther
insertion is possible before the entering ferrule wedges
fast. We have then, on one side of the fit and close to
it, a place where the contact and consequent cohesion of
the surfaces is nothing; and on the other side, and in
equally close juxtaposition, the " jam," where the enter-
ing ferrule comes to a stand. Start such a ferrule ever
so little, and the frictional contact or cohesion of the sur-
face is so impaired, if it is not altogether destroyed, that
it is no longer sufficient to meet and overcome the tenden-
cy of the rod to throw apart in casting. That a sudden jar
or shock may produce this result, is shown by a familiar
example from every-day life. Many have struggled with
an obstinate glass stopper stuck fast in its bottle. Here

Rod-mahing. 241

we have the conditions exactly reproduced — a conical
ping fitting in a conical bore. Taking the bottle in the
left handy and constantly turning it, tap the glass stopper
alternately on each side with any light piece of metal, and
in a few moments a cohesion which resisted all the tor-
sional strain you could apply, is so broken that the stopper
may be removed with the thumb and finger.

Contrast with this the action of a perfect cylinder.
Insert it one-eighth of an inch, and it fits; insert it an-
other eighth, and it still fits, and a due proportion of co-
hesion is added to that already obtained; enter it fur-
ther, and still the same result — each fractional advance
increasing the cohesion of the surfaces, until the limit of
insertion is reached.

Now, whether a rod will throw apart or not depends
upon the relative proportions of the cohesion of the sur-
faces of the fen*ules one with the other, and the centrif-
ugal motion imparted to the rod in the process of cast-
ing. So long as the former is in excess the rod can nev-
er throw apart. Start the " hour-glass " ferrule at all,
and the centrifugal motion preponderates. But the cylin-
drical ferrule may be withdrawn half an inch, and still
leave abundant cohesion to retain the balance in its fa-
vor. Ignorance or neglect of these simple and element-
ary principles have led to the construction of the " hour-
glass " ferrule, and to the claim that a simple ferrule so
made is liable to throw apart, I assent. But a simple
cylindrical ferrule is quite another matter, and when the
defects of the former are charged against it, guided both
by practical experience and theory, I insist that those
charges have no foundation in fact. Nor must it be sup-
posed that mathematical exactness of form or fit is essen-
tial to its practical success. I have known of a simple
16

. I

242 Fly-Toda cmd Fly4acJde,

ferrule, unitiog the batt and middle joint of a rod, stand
perfectly for years, in which the female ferrule had been
changed from the tapered to a cylindrical form solely by
hammering on a mandrel, and without grinding or finish-
ing the inner surface in any way.

Therefore it is believed tliat the facts fully justify the
assertion that the short form of ferrule I advocate is as
much the superior of the long dowelled ferrule in excel-
lence, as it is in simplicity, and that no other should be
used to unite the different portions of a fly-rod.*

Returning now to our subject, and addressing the be-
ginner only, as before, we anticipate and answer his ques-

* Since writing the foregoing, my attention has l>een called to a form
of dowelled ferrule, in which the dowel is very short, and the ferrule but
little longer, if any, than those I adrocate. If the dowelled ferrule has
any merit, this possesses it fully, while beyond increased difficulty of re-
pair to a break at the femile^s edge, I know of no objection to its use.
These ferrules were otherwise so well made, and on sudi sound mechani-
cal principles, that it is with pleasure I except them from the preceding
criticism. The dowelled ferrule has, howeyer, one advantage over the
other form deserving of mention. At the opening of the season the fer-
rules of a rod are sometimes found to be a little loose, due to the shrink-
ing of the rod material during the winter. In such case the dowel so
wedges any joint to that below it, as to prevent the shake at the points of
juncture (which would temporarily disable a rod provided with simple fer-
rules), and the angler may disregard the defect

I have spoken, and hereafter speak, of ferrules made from tubing. In
all cases tubing ** drawn inside and out " is to be understood, the process
of manufacture of which is as follows : A polished steel mandrel is in-
serted within the tube, which is then forcibly drawn through a die with
the mandrel still within it. The metal is thus compressed between the
mandrel and the die, resulting in a considerable extension in length as
well as reduction in diameter. This condensation by compression is es-
sential to the required ^* temper ** of the metal. I neither advocate nor
approve of the use of any tubing in the drawing of which the use <9f such
a mandrel is omitted.

Rodrmaking, d48

tion, Where shall I get my ferrules and rod material?
My own ferrales have been made from german • silver
tabing, drawn for me by Mr. John H. Knapp, manufact-
urer of gold and silver pen and pencil cases, No. 17 John
Street, New York City. The tubing for the male ferrules,
as supplied me in the past by Mr. Knapp, has been just
a shade too large to enter the female ferrule, so as to
permit nice fitting. This tubing was beautifully drawn
inside and out, and of good " temper." Mr. Knapp prefers
that samples should be sent with orders. He can supply
any size which does not exceed half an inch in interior
diameter.

To make ferrules, or even to fit them well, without the
use of a lathe is a difficult matter. To buy your ferrules
already fitted is the better course, if you have not access
to this most useful of machines.

Let me, however, strongly advise, if you intend to
make more than one rod, as soon as possible to adopt
fixed sizes of ferrules for fly-rods and to adhere to it, for
thus you will have all parts of all your rods interchange-
able. The advantage of this is too apparent for discus-
sion. But, lest the youthful beginner (and to such, re-
membering my own embarrassments, my heart goes out),
to whom money may be an object, may have ordered a
second set and find it a little different from his first, I
will give directions for fitting without a lathe, which
with patience will remedy the defect.

Let us assume the male ferrule is too large. First
cement it on a stick to serve as a handle. Then, if the
difference is great, attack it with your " mill-saw " file,
afterwards with a "dead smooth " file, or strips of emery
cloth glued to flat pieces of wood. In any event finish
till it will enter a little with the latter. In this filing

244 Fly-rods and jFly-tacIde.

operation you must by no means put the ferrule in a vise.
Hold its handle in the left hand, laying the ferrule in a
shallow groove not over a quarter of an inch long, so that
if you do not apply the file straight, the ferrule will rock
a little to meet it. To file flat and true is one of the most
difficult of mechanical operations, and few even of trauned
artisans ever acquire it. Should the male ferrule be too
small, insert a round piece of iron which fits it nearly,
and stretch it with a hanuner until too large. Then
finish as before.

If, however, the female ferrule is too small, mount it
on a handle inserted only at that end, and not quite as
far as the joint is intended to enter. Carefully round a
stick of such size that when wrapped with emery-cloth,
to be glued on, it will just fit. Oil the latter, and grind
out the inside of the ferrule, giving some longitudinal as
well as rotary motion to the stick. Unless the quantity
to be removed is considerable, the ferrule should not be
stretched on a metal rod under the hammer. When you
have finished, wipe the oil and abraded material from
your files and emery-sticks, and put them away for future
use. When the female ferrule is too large, there is no
remedy for the amateur but to buy another.

German-silver takes a better temper* — can be made

* When the amateur, at least, speaks of ** Grerman-silver," be is apt to
suppose that he refers to a fixed alloy of definite charaeteristiGS. This
is not the case. The term " German-silver '* is applied indiscriminately
to all alloys of copper, nickle, and zinc, with or without lead or iron,
irrespective of the proportions in which they are combined, or the char-
acteristics of the compound — color excepted.

They are by no means equally suited to the angler^s use, especially
for farniles. The desiderata are malleability, that the alloy may be
easiU worked, and stiffness, that it may retain the form given it by the

245

11(1 it therefore makes
lioaper. It, however,
•ulsive in appearance
thod of finishing its

ilo-of-thumb" fash-

V use it on my reels,

« )rk for years, and

(. No very extra

uthed glass-stop-
K's in. Have him
n this; then take
lit it in a warm
lill the silver is
Or, if you are
in dissolve the
it in a portion
(I to chemical
After the sil-
'» lit the thick-
It four inches

'he exigencies of

ty readily be had

\\o. proportion of

juantity of nickle,

we have an alloy

uired stiffness; in

concerned, but un-

r and twenty parts

, and is probably the

'• silver — mean. Less

• r should contain that is

be excluded.

246 Fly-rods cmd Fly4acTde,

long. This will soon disappear, and the solution is then
ready for use. Clean all oil from the brass you wish to
color, either with alcohol, ammonia, or brown soap; rinse
well, and dry. Then secure it to a piece of copper wire,
and the wire to a poker; dip the brass below the surface
of the solution; withdraw it at once; give a slight shake
within the bottle to avoid dripping, and heat in a fire as
quickly as possible. If you have a good alcohol lamp,
or one of those gas-burners which give a flame of the al-
cohol character, either will be better than a fire. Watch
the piece carefully. It will first turn green, then a black
speck or two will appear on the surface. This will speed-
ily spread, until the whole surface is a dull dead black.
The instant this change is complete, remove the brass
from the source of heat. The change takes place at the
temperature at which ordinary tinman's solder melts,
and hotter than this no ferrule should ever be heated
after it is soldered together, lest it anneal and lose its
stiffness.

Two courses are then open. One is to cool at once
with water, and then to scrub well with an old tooth-
brush, holding the brass below the surface till clean; the
other, less agreeable but giving a better result, is to al-
low the brass to cool naturally, and then to scrub the
surface clean in the same manner, but dry. After being
thus scrubbed, rub well with a dry cloth until all crock is
removed. You will then have deposited a beautiful soft
dead surface of black oxide of copper on your brass. It
has a very attractive appearance, wears very well, and
when the sharper edges after two or three seasons rub
bright, you can, if you wish, re-black in the same way an
indefinite number of times. The whole original expense
will not exceed fifty cents, and the same solution may

Eodrmdking. 247

be used again and again, till consumed by evaporation,
and the little withdrawn upon the surface of the articles
dipped therein. Any copper-alloy may be thus blackened.

THE HANDLE.

Use a handle with a ferrule immediately above it — or,
better still, sunk into it — ^to receive the butt joint, the
whole so arranged that while the handle remains still, the
butt joint can be turned readily, so as to present the rings
either beneath or on top of the rod. One handle will
thus do for all single-handed fly- rods, heavy or light.
Tou can cast with the rings underneath or above, while
the reel always remains in its normal and only conven-
ient position — that below the hand and under tibe handle
— and you can change from one to the other as your fan-
cy dictates. You can play your fish in the same way,
changing the direction of the strain in an instant, and a
dozen times on the same fish if you wish. Also in order-
ing or making a new rod, you will not only save the ex-
pense of a new handle and its furniture, but avoid the
temptation to use strong language when you find your
old reels will not fit. Again, your rod, even if of in-
ferior material, will always remain straight and uniform
in action.

Next to discarding the dowel pin, I believe this to be
the most valuable improvement which can be applied to
the fly-rod as at present made. I am aware this con-
struction is not altogether new; but it is uncommon, while
its great merit should make it universal. And even when
employed, it is not unfrequently regarded either as a mere
ornament or as a device to make possible a cheaper or
lighter handle, while its most important function, the
ability frequently to reverse the direction in which the

248 Fly-Tods and Fly-tackle,

strain is brought upon the rod, is altogether ignored. Liet
any gentleman have one of his rods, especially if it has
already taken a set, cut immediately above the handle,
and a short, well-fitted simple ferrule inserted to reunite
the divided portions, and then try it for one campaign.

Of course, to bring the rings above, but half a revolu-
tion of the butt joint in the handle-ferrule will be re-
quired, and the line will then wrap in a long spiral half
way round the butt joint. Now if, in reversing the rings
to underneath the rod, the precaution be taken always
to reverse the motion as well, so that the line will then
lead straight to the rings and not wrap all the way around
the rod, it (the line) will be found to render equally well
in either position of the rings. And unless the teachings
of over twenty years' practical experience are delusive,
the more particular he who tries it is in regard to his
tackle, the more certain he is to adhere to it ever after.

Fifteen years have elapsed since the foregoing was
written, during which I have wooed the wily trout or
salmon from Labrador to Alaska. During this time,
except at infrequent intervals, and for a few trial casts
by request, no fly-rod, either for trout or salmon, with-
out an independent handle has been used by me. If I
praised its merits before with the spirit of an advocate,
I now extol them with the zeal of a missionary. Given
two rods of equal excellence, one with and the other
without an independent handle, both properly used, and
the first will still be young and sprightly long after the
other is decrepit and passe.

During these peregrinations, often far into the wilder-
ness, many other anglers have been met, usually encum-
bered with a bundle of rods as large as a small water-
main. My whole rod outfit — two butts, three middle

Rod-making, 249

joints, and five tips — was contained in a water-tight
screw-capped tin pipe one and three-eighths inches in
diameter ; my one independent handle being in my
pack with my fly-book and reel. Each of my joints lay
solidly against its fellows, supported and straight
throughout its length. Theirs, if straight, could touch
the butt joint only at the ferrule and handle, so that,
bound into a bundle as convenience of carriage required,
they were constantly crooked except when jointed and
in use. I cannot recollect ever to have seen a much-
used rod with integral handle and butt joint, which had
an equal action on the back and forward cast. Such
rods I have always found softer when so bent that
the ringed side was concave, than when bent in the
opposite direction. • This, to my sense of propriety, is an
abomination. As far as pleasure is concerned, I would
as soon cast with a rod the ferrules of which were loose,
as with a rod of such unequal action. Though a rod
may have this desirable quality in perfection when
new, I am convinced that it can be retained but for a
small part of what should be its unimpaired life, in the
absence of an independent handle so united to the butt
joint that the rod can be turned therein while fishing,
so as to bring the rings at frequent intervals alternately
on top and underneath the rod.

I am quite aware of the theory that if one oasts with
the rings underneath, and plays his fish with the rings
uppermost, the one strain will offset the other and the
rod remain straight and equal in action. But if the
proof of the pudding is in the eating, unless my obser-
vation is at fault, it is a matter of theory only and not
of fact. Few rods, it is believed, have been subjected
to strains more severe than my own, used, as it con-

250 Fly-rods (md Fly4aclde,

Btantly has been, with large flies and against heavy fish ;
yet it is as straight to-day and as even in action as when
strung up for its maiden cast. This desirable result I
attribute solely to the practice, when the rod is in use,
of turning it in the handle at frequent intervals so that
the rings are alternately on top and underneath — say
three or four times an hour. In short, I am as firmly
convinced that the independent handle, when used as
indicated above, protracts the prime of the useful life
of a rod many times over, as I am that fly-fishing is the
first of out-door sports.

Remember always to oil or tallow your ferrules, espe-
cially the handle-ferrule, and then wipe them dry before
jointing your rod. You will then never be plagued by
having the joints stick and refuse to separate, and your
handle-ferrule will turn with smoothness and ease, as it
should.

All the strain imposed on the rod is transferred to,
and must be overcome at, the junction of the handle and
butt joint. It is well, therefore, to give special attention
to this point. If the ferrule to receive the butt is to be
sunk into the handle — which is the method I prefer — so
that only its mouth appears, it should run the whole
length of the grasp. Otherwise, if you overstnke, and
on a solid fish, there is danger of splitting the handle.
With this construction ten and a half inches is long
enough for this part. In this case, having bored the hole
to receive it, warm the ferrule, coat it with cement, and
push it into place with a twisting motion. If the cement
cools by contact with the interior of the handle, and in-
clines to stick, warm a round metal rod and insert it in-
side of the ferrule. This will re-melt the cement, and you
can easily enter the ferrule the remaining distance.

Rod-making,

251

If the ferrule is to project outside of the handle, it
should not exceed two and a half inches in length. The

rH{43.

Fig44.

pin on which it sets, and which unites it to the handle,
should he the strongest part of the rod. Unless the ma-
terial of which the handle is composed is in itself very
strong, a piece of ash, or some wood having the required
strength, should be inserted to fill a hole the whole length
of the grasp, and glued in place, leaving enough project-
ing to place the ferrule on. If this method is followed,
any light wood that suits the fancy will answer for a
handle — red cedar for instance, or sumach, either of which
finishes to look well. Or bird's-eye maple may be used,
and the projection be formed with the handle, and of the
same material, thus dispensing with the labor of boring,
etc. Curly maple makes a handsomer job, but it is not
so strong. In this case the handle should be eleven
inches long, measured from the edge of the ferrule where
it comes in contact with the handle, to the extreme end
of the butt cap. Make that portion of the handle devoted
to the reel, and which will of course be below the hand,
as short as you can. It should be equal to the sum of
lengths of the butt cap, that portion of your reel by which
it is attached to the handle (the reel plate), and your two
reel bands. Or you may procure from the same source

262 Fly-rods and Fly-tcuMe.

from which you would order your other material, a hol-
low metal reel seat, which includes in itself butt cap and
all bands, at about double cost Then to fit the lower
end of your handle to it, and cement it on, is all that is
necessary.

It is usually recommended to place the reel as near
the butt end of the handle as possible, since then the
weight acts more efficiently to counterpoise, and thus
diminish the apparent weight of the rod. Therefore,
one end of the reel plate is inserted directly under the
edge of the butt cap itself, and one reel band, sliding
from above, confines the other extremity. This arrange-
ment dispenses with one reel band. It does very well
for small fish ; but where those are expected which will
give from five to thirty minutes' play, no man can stand
the fatigue of so protracted a struggle at armVlength.
The butt of the rod is then placed against the body, and
when the reel handle is manipulated, a blow in the stom-
ach is received at each revolution. Influenced by this
annoyance, I place a fixed band immediately below the
grasp, under which I insert one end of the reel plate.
The sliding band, used to confine the other end of the
reel plate, is placed between this and the butt cap.

In forming your reel seat, in case you do not use that
of metal mentioned above, do not endeavor to shape out
a depression to fit, since to do this neatly requires time
and care, and it is difficult to finish ; but simply file the
place off flat, which will answer every purpose, finish
easily, and look quite as well if not better. Of course
care must be used and frequent trial of the fit, that you
do not take off too much.

It is better to have your handle turned, than try to
make it yourself; though you can do so, governing your-

Rod-making. • 263

self by the principles already given for making your
joints. In the former case, the hole to receive the han-
dle ferrule or its support should be bored first, and the
handle turned on it as a centre, that it may surely coin-
cide with the axis of the handle.

After the handle is shaped, and sand-papered nicely,
wet it and let it dry. This will roughen it — " raise tho
grain," as it is termed. Now take the finest sand-paper
you have, not coarser than "0," and smooth it again.
Repeat this three or four times, using the same piece of
sand-paper. Then when dry, varnish with shellac dis-
solved in alcohol; giving it three or four coats, applied
at about three - hour intervals. When this is perfectly
hard, rub it down to the bare wood with powdered
pumice-stone and raw linseed-oil, applied with a rag.
This will stuff the grain. Then apply three or four more
coats of shellac and rub it down in the same manner
till all brush-marks are removed, and it is perfectly
smooth. Then polish, first with powdered rotten-stone
and the same oil, and afterwards with dry rotten-stone.
This will give a nice durable finish.

The form given the grasp of the handle of the rod is
more than a mere matter of appearance. A grasp which
from its shape will so anchor within the hand as to slip
neither way even when loosely held, would seem best to
meet the conditions of use. Having habitually used an
independent handle on my rods for over twenty years,
and having the facilities and inclination to experiment,
I have made and tried almost every promising style of
handle I could hear, see, or think of. The opinion de-
duced from these experiments is that the plain cylindri-
cal grasp is the worst, and that that shown in Figs. 43
and 44 is the best I have tried ; and I am confirmed in

254 Fly-rods and Fly4aclde.

this by the fact that practical mechanics so habitually
give substaDtially this form to the grasp of articles
which are to be brandished in the hand without slipping.

It may not be amiss to mention that a grasp may be
made from a corn-cob, which is by no means to be de-
spised, provided the hand of the user is not too delicate.
Its merits are its light weight and the firm hold af-
forded by its corrugated surface. Its demerits are that,
if used immediately after handling a fish and without
first washing the fish slime from the hands, it becomes
dirty and is difficult to clean. This objection may be
overcome to a great extent, it is true, by varnishing the
surface ; but the very characteristics which give it its
merit are impaired thereby.

Cork -covered grasps for the handles of rods have
come into somewhat extensive use since this book was
first issued. It is believed nothing better is known, al-
ways provided the cork grasp is built up from cork
washers of substantial thickness, and is not a mere sheet
of thin cork wrapped around and glued upon the han-
dle. The washer construction will last with the rod,
and when it becomes soiled may readily be washed clean
with soap and water. The sheet method looks better
as long as it preserves its integrity, but sooner or later
it flakes off — sooner if used much in the rain or allowed
to become and remain damp for any length of time.

A word of caution before leaving this subject. When
the ferrule to receive the butt joint is countersunk and
cemented within the handle, the cement sometimea.
cracks in cold weather and the ferrule begins " to creep"
— ^that is, slowly to work out from the action of the rod.
It is better to render this impossible at the outset by
running a pin through ferrule and handle just before

Bod-making, d66

finishing the latter. But in this case, as in all others
where fastening pins are used in rod construction, the
pin should go through from side to side so that it can
be driven through and out, should the separation of the
parts ever become desirable. The philosophy of an
ideal composite mechanical structure resembles that of
the ideal knot, in that its parts should not only remain
in perfect co-operative union as long as desired, but
should also permit of ready separation and reassembling
at will,

VABNISHING.

The next step in making a wooden rod is varnishing ;
and for this purpose shellac is the worst, and coach-body
varnish the best. The object sought is to cover the rod
with a coating that will be absolutely water-proof, will
not crack ; and should it receive a blow, will dent and
not chip out. The former gives an easy, speedy, and
poor result; the latter is more tedious, but once on is a
permanent protection. Rod-makers complain of coach-
body varnish that it is a very tedious drier, but this is
mainly because they do not know how to use it. Hung
up in a room, a thick coat may not be dry enough to
handle in two weeks ; but if you will be governed by
the following directions, your patience will not be sub-
ject to anything like such a tax.

First fit a plug provided with a wire hook to each of
your ferrules, to hang the joint up by when drying.
Then apply your varnish in as thin a coat as you can.
This is one of the secrets of success — as thin a coat as
you can apply. To aid in this, thin the varnish with
spirits of turpentine until it works freely, and all brush-
marks flow together readily and soon after application.
A stiffish brush must be used. Now, if the weather per-

256 Fly-rods and Fly4aeJde,

mit, hang the varnished work out in the sun and wind —
the wind especially. It is this that hardens Yamish^ and
a coat that will remain " tacky " for a week in-doors, will,
thus treated, become perfectly hard in twelve hours. Ap-
ply no second coat till the first is hard, and remember to
lay it as thinly as you can, and you will have no trouble.
Apply four or five coats.

When these are perfectly hard, rub down with pow-
dered pumice-stone and water, till the surface is smooth.
Rub the work frequently with a damp sponge to clean
the surface, that you may inspect your progress, lest you
cut through the varnish altogether, and be compelled to
begin again. When this is finished, rub well with pow-
dered rotten-stone and water, and then polish with dry
rotten-stone. Wash again to remove any that may ad-
here, and when dry rub briskly with buckskin or a piece
of silk. This will give a beautiful and durable finish.
I use " Crockett's Spar Composition." In good drying
weather, when treated as directed, a coat may be ap-
plied every twenty-four hours.

The conclusion of the preceding chapter should not
be overlooked. It was there shown that all wood is
hygroscopic — i.e., absorbs water from the atmosphere ;
that wood seasoned indefinitely in an ordinarily heated
dwelling-house still contained from eight to twelve per
cent, of moisture ; that the less the contained moisture
the greater the strength and elasticity ; that whether
the wood was imperfectly seasoned, or whether it had
been thoroughly dried out and then allowed to absorb
moisture, was the same so far as the effect on its strength
and elasticity was concerned ; and that wood could be
artificially dried without injury provided it was not ex-
posed to a temperature above 120° F.

Rod-making, 267

The practical deduction from all this is obvious.
When the joint is ready to varnish it should be exposed
for some days, more or less according to its thickness,
to a temperature as near 120"* F. as is available. Thus
the wood will be dried as much as is possible without
injury, and the maximum of strength and elasticity be
obtained. When so dried no opportunity should be
given it to absorb moisture from the atmosphere, but it
should receive its first coat of varnish at once. This is
the ideal procedure, to be approached in practice as
nearly as circumstances will permit. Room, joint, brush,
and varnish should by no means be cold when varnishing.

WSAPPING ON THE RINGS.

This is the next step in order. Assuming that you
have never either done this yourself or seen it done,
the first requisite is the mastery of the " invisible knot."
In the Chapter on Repairs you will find illustrated
directions for tying this. Another method is also given
of accomplishing the same result — ^the fastening off of
the silk wrappings. But the acquisition of the true ^' in-
visible knot " is strongly recommended, since it may be
applied in many cases where the other cannot. I believe
it one of the most important and useful additions that
the angler can make to his general knowledge of the art;
and this not only on account of the benefit to your indi-
vidual self, but because it will enable you to help many
a brother angler, much your senior in experience and skill,
out of a scrape, and thus requite him for advice and in-
struction. The value of aid from the experienced to the
beginner, when given at the water's side and rod in hand,
cannot be exaggerated, and you should lose no opportu-
nity to avail yourself of such assistance.
17

258 Fly-rods and Fly-tacUe.

Therefore, study the Chapter on Repairs carefully, try-
ing each step practically until it is perfectly familiar.
Supposing this to have been done, and that you can now
not only wrap on the silk but fasten it off as well, let us
proceed to put the rings on your new rod.

First as to the sizes to be used. That the rings should

be large is one of the traditions of fly-fishing. While

this may have been, doubtless was,

O^N ^^ advisable when a rough horse-hair,
Vm/ ^-^ or horse-hair and silk line was em-

ABC ployed, it is no longer so, since an

''ISldlir/otot.'cTifpi'" enamelled water -proofed line with

its polished surface, is practically

the only thing used. The sizes I prefer are here shown.

They are known to the trade as Nos. 4^, 4, and 3^, in
the order given, A being 4^.

Be liberal in the use of rings. If you seize a piece of
wood of uniform strength by the ends, and break it, it
does not give way where it is grasped, but at some inter-
mediate point. And thus with a fly-rod. By being lib-
eral in the matter of rings you diffuse the strain, so that
though its aggregate be great, yet at no place will it
reach the breaking point.

Place a ring close to each ferrule and its mate — i.e.,
so that when the rod is jointed a ring will be both above
and below the unyielding metal ; for thus, for reasons
before stated or implied, you lessen the danger of acci-
dent at those points.

I place two rings on the butt joint, one at the ferrule
uniting it to the middle joint, and one about a foot be-
low. Seven rings, or even eight, if the joint is very long
and the butt correspondingly short, I allow for the mid-
dle joint, and seven for the tip. These rings should be

Hod^maJdng. 250

so spaced, that the intervals between them constantly
and uniformly diminish from the butt to the tip.

Now unite your rod and try it in every position, turn-
ing the several joints till you find that adjustment with
which the action is best. You will find it in that po-
sition in which the rod is most flexible, for all flexible
bodies tend to bend in the line of least resistance.
If you attempt to force it to bend otherwise by adjust-
ment of the rings, a compromise between the two, vary-
ing in proportion, at different parts of the rod, will re-
sult, and the action of the rod will not be fair and true.
A glance will tell you whether the ferrules coincide with
the axis of the rod. If they do not, strive to find some
adjustment that will permit the crook to be set so that
it inclines upward. Having arranged this, look your rod
carefully over, and if you find any place where the grain
appears to run out to the surface, try to bring this on the
side, and not on the upper or under surface of the rod ;
for this indicates the natural line of cleavage, or tendency
to split. The cohesion between the fibres of the wood
here is much less than their tenacity ; or in other words,
it would require far less force to split the fibres apart
than to tear them asunder. When the rod is bent, the
upper surface, since it is the longer part of the curve,
must stretch, and the lower, for an analogous reason,
must condense somewhat. Under a heavy strain, if the
part in question were placed above or below, the fibres
would be apt to separate and slide over one another on this
line, or in other words split; whereas on the sides the
tendency to this is less, and the fibre must rather rupture
before the rod can give way.

Having carefully studied all these points, avoiding
.all the evils you can, and compromising with judgment

260

Fly-rods a/nd Fly4acJde,

between those you cannot avoid, make a scratch with a
pin on the varnish of each joint, to indicate the side
upon which the rings are to be placed. Do not trust to
a lead-pencil mark, since it is too much trouble to find
this place to risk losing it ; and neither on metal nor
varnish will such a mark bear much handling. Also
make the scratch close to the ferrules, where they will
eventually be covered by wrappings, so as not to disfig-
ure the rod. Then with a lead-pencil mark the point
where each wrapping is to begin.

The next step is to prepare your " keepers ;" for those
sold are not nearly as good, and are much more difficult
to manage, than those you can make. Procure a piece
of sheet-brass or gerraan-silver about the thickness of a
sheet of good writing-paper. For thi6 you can write to
Frasse & Co., No. 96, or to Montgomery & Co., No. 105,
both in Fulton Street, New York City, who can deliver
it by mail. Twenty-five cents' worth, exclusive of post
charges, will last for a long time. Cut with scissors a
strip from one edge W of an inch wide. Heat it red hot
and let it cool ; this will anneal it, and make it manage-
able. Now cut off strips at right angles to the length
and about this width —

Fig. 4d.— ^, annealed strip of metal; B, width-keeper for butt; C, same for
middle ]olnt; D, same for tip.

The illustration gives the general idea ; but you should
vary the width a little, that as the diameter of the rod de-

Rodrmahing. 261

creases, the width of yoar keeper may correspondiogly di-
minish. Next point all your keepers thus
with scissors. Next lay each point on a "^ -^

piece of iron, and thin it with a small
hammer to obtain the result shown in an exaggerated
manner in the following figure, in which an edge view of

Fig. 48. .

a keeper so treated is shown. When this is complete you
are prepared to attach the rings.

Use such colored silk as you fnay fancy — scarlet is
most usual — but of the very best sewing-machine quality.
Nothing is more disgusting than to encounter a knot or
other imperfection when a winding is almost complete,
and thus be forced to undo your work and begin again.
The size indicated by the letter A is best for butts and
middle joints ; that known as O for tips.

There are three ways of treating the silk, each having
its good and its bad features. The first materially
lightens the labor of winding, and the silk retains its
color fairly well, but it does not have the hold on the
rod of the others.

Take an empty spool, place it on the winding attach-
ment of a sewing-machine, and reel the silk off from the
spool on which it came on to the empty spool, drawing
it through a piece of white beeswax while so doing.
When this is completed, re-wind the silk on to its original
spool in the same manner, waxing, it a second time. It
may require a 100-yard spool of A and a 50-yard spool of
silk to a rod; and though some surplus will usually re-
main, it will not be safe to begin with less, for fear a new

263

Fly^ods <md Fly4acJde.

spool might be of different color, or assome a different tint
under the wax and varnish.

Having wound on about four or five turns, insert one
point of the keeper under these, far enough not to drop
out when the joint is inverted. This the thinness of the
point of the keeper will enable you easily to do. Then

Fig. 49.^^, Joint ; B^ wiodiog ; C, keeper.

wind it on tightly nearly to its middle, with care that each
turn of the silk lies close to, and by no means overlaps,
its neighbor. Then holding the turns already made in
place with the left thumb, bend the uncovered end of the
keeper upward, thus:

<^^ai^2^

Fig. OO.—ii, Joint: JS, winding; C, keeper; D, ring.

and wind where the ring is to be placed. Having covered
this (about one-eighth of an inch, a little more or less
according to the size of the ring), drop on the ring,
holding it with the left thumb in the position shown at

Bodrmakmg. 263

D in the preceding figure. Then bend the free end of
the keeper down on to the joint, and with the back of
a scissors or knife apply a sharp pressure close to the ring,
and this will be the result:

Fig. 61.—^, Joint ; B, winding ; C, keeper ; D, ring.

Then finish the winding, and fasten it off. Next, with
the handle of an old tooth-brush, or other similar hard
and smooth substance, polish the winding all over. This
will smooth down all fuzziness and burnish each thread
into close contact with its neighbor. If this is carefully
done, it is wonderful how well a rather botchy job can be
made to look, unless knots or overlaps are present. Now,
and not till now, proceed to cut off the projecting end
of the silk. First give it a pull to be sure the burnish-
ing process has not loosened the fastening; then strain-
ing it tightly towards the left, cut it off as close as you
can with a sharp knife. Burnish down the little projec-
tion left by the end, if any, and proceed to the next ring.
When all the windings are finished, brush them over with
a single coat of shellac. Before the shellac has time to
set, oil the end of the forefinger slightly that the shellac
may not adhere to it, and smooth the varnish and any re-
maining fuzziness down by rubbing the winding in the
direction in which the thread runs. This, I believe, is
the usual method of the professional rod-maker, though I
never saw one wind a rod.

264 Fly-Tods and Fly4acJde,

In the other methods the winding, and the ring, and its
keeper are all manipulated in the same way, but the bur-
nishing is omitted. The first of these is to wind with silk
directly from the spool without waxing, and when the
joint is finished to varnish with the same varnish as the
rod. The silk, thus swollen by the varnish it absorbs,
becomes very tight, and is pasted down and adheres to
the rod itself; but every roughness of the silk remains
and is increased, so, though it makes the most durable
and efficient job, it looks so badly as to overweigh its
advantages.

The remaining method is to wind without waxing the
silk or burnishing, then to wet the wrapping with hot
water, and lastly to brush it over with thin glue. The
silk must first be wet, or the glue will not penetrate and
bind the silk to the wood as it should. This, as inti-
mated, fastens the silk securely to the wood, and gives
it almost the firmness of a metal band. The original color
of the silk, too, is preserved far better than by any other ,
method, and every projecting fibre is glued down smooth-
ly. It also stuffs the silk so that at least two less coats
of varnish are required to finish. Were it not for the
difficulty of handling the slippery silk without neutraliz-
ing that property by the aid of the wax, this would be
the best method. But taking all things into considera-
tion, it is advisable to begin with the first. When you
make a split-bamboo then resort to this.

YABNISHING THE WRAPPINGS.

This is the concluding step. Use the same varnish
recommended for the rod, though it may be thinned even
a little more to advantage, at least for the initiatory coat.
First, with a small chisel-pointed stick, insert a drop of

Rodrjnakvng. 265

varnish under the rings on each side. This is important,
lest water find its way under the silk and turn it white,
to the ruin of its appearance. Then apply the varnish to
the wrapping so treated with a small, flat, artist's bristle
brush, being careful not to run over on to the polished
joint. Lay on the varnish in a thin coat, and by no means
so that it will run. If you have applied an excess, wipe
your brush dry with a piece of paper, and take it up
therewith. Treat each winding in succession. Continue
this process, drying as when varnishing the rod itself,
until you have a smooth solid surface. Your rod is then
complete, and the pleasure its use will afford over and
above even a better one, which is the handiwork of an-
other, will be at least fifty per cent.

TIPS.

Already the importance of having this part as light as
possible, because of its distance from the hand and con-
sequent leverage, has been dwelt on. But it must also
be elastic and prompt in action to pick the fly sharply off
the water and send it behind the caster without effort,
since otherwise nice casting, if not out of the question, is
at all events much more difl^cult.

I know of but two materials at all suitable for tips —
lancewood and split-bamboo.* They are related in order
of merit, the former to the latter, as the silver dollar of
our fathers is related to a five-dollar gold-piece. Many
amateur rod-makers stand aghast at the idea of working
split-bamboo, and to make a good six-strip hexagonal rod
does require considerable skill and judgment. But to

* Some light-colored greenheart equals lancewood for this purpose ;
also see Chapter on Bod Material, under head of " Pagame/*

366 Fly^ods cmd Fhy-tacUe.

make a four-strip split-bamboo tip is not a difficult job,
and one even poorly made is better than one of the best
lancewood. I strongly advise you to try it if it is pro-
posed to make rod-making a standing amusement. In this
case it is better to make, say, half a dozen, one right after
the other, for if you do botch the first and second, you
will by that time have acquired the necessary skill, and
will have your hand in, as the saying is. The others will
then turn out all right. You will then, too, have a stock
of tips available for any rods you may thereafter make.

For this purpose you will select the butt ends of the
Calcutta bamboo, that distinguished from other kinds by
the charred markings on its yellow exterior. Many saw
their cane into strips, but I believe splitting with an or-
dinary table-knife the better method. As you examine
the cane, you will notice on opposite sides and at alter-
nate joints, depressions where the leaf grew. Through
the middle of these your first split should be made, and
the cane be thus halved; then quarter it; next, holding
each quarter in a vise, remove the remains of the inner
divisions (which in the cane separate the joints one from
the other) with a mallet and f-inch gouge.

To save repetition, you are referred to the remarks on
making six-strip bamboo r6ds for such information as I
am able to give to aid in the discrimination of fit from
unfit material; but it may be remarked that a tip does
not absolutely require as good stuff as a butt or middle
joint, though of course it should be had, if possible.

Next split your four quarters into strips about one-
half wider than the inner diameter of the cap of your
tip ferrule, rejecting the strips in which the eyes left by
the leaves occur. Or, if the bamboo is excellent and the
distance between the joints considerable, you may cut

Bod^mdhing.

267

oat these knots^ and splice on a piece to be the smaller
end of the tip. The process is explained in the Chapter
on Repairs. This splice should be at least three inches
long — should be ^lued, and made with care to insure a
perfect fit, and that the rind on one part meets that on
the other. The rind or exterior cuticle should be con-
tinuous on the longer part of the tip, thus :

Fig. n.~ul, longer part of tip ; B, ahorter part of same ; C, rind side ; D, pith

This splice should not exceed eighteen inches at most
from the small end of the tip, and must be wrapped with
silk its whole length when the tip is finished. This is
only advisable when your bamboo is really excellent in
quality, and you feel that you
cannot afford to throw aside
any that can by possibility be
made available. Make your
first effort with your poorest
material, reserving the better
till you have acquired a little
experience.

Having split out four good
strips, level off the knots on
the inside with a rasp, and on
the outside with a file. Then
plane off the edges, trying
to get them as square with the rind side as possible, and
thus approximate, but only approximate, to your taper.
The subsequent steps will be facilitated, if all the strips

Fig. 68.

268

Fly-rods and Fly-tackle.

have nearly a uniform taper and width. You will now
require a couple of strips of pine, say one and a quarter
inches square, with right angled triangular grooves run-
ning the whole length, of which the preceding illustra-
tion is a cross-section.

A carpenter can plane these out for you, in which case
have a groove in each surface, or you can build it up by
uniting two pieces of wood, on the edge of each of wbich
one-half of the groove is formed. It is essential that the
angle at the bottom of this groove be a right angle, and
that the sides, a a, be equal ; for on the accuracy of this
depends the accuracy of your result. The former you
can test with the corner of your square ; the latter by
your eye. When this is arranged to your satisfaction,
lay one bamboo strip in the groove in the position indi-
cated, and plane off to the dotted line in Fig. 54.

Fig. 64. Fig.S5.

il, grooved wooden strip ; B, bamboo strip ; a, rind side, and &, pith aide of latr

ter ; oc, the dotted line.

Now change the bamboo, so as to plane the other edge
as shown in Fig. 55, like letters indicating like parts.

Rodr^rrmTdng.

Pig. 57.

Treat each strip thus in turn, when you should have
the result shown by this cross-section, the letters still
indicating the same parts. The angle at d
should be a true right angle, to be tested by
your square. This would be easily obtained
were the rind side, a (which you must by no
means touch with the plane), flat instead of
rounding. If much out, you must true this an-
gle up by drawing it through a V-shaped scraping notch
filed in one of your steel scraps. Not only must this be
a right angle, but the apex must coincide with the mid-
dle of the strip — not thus, in which the angle,
d^ is clearly off to one side, as shown by the
lack of equality in the sides, hh. This will
probably bother you more than the other, but
your scraping notch will easily rectify this.
It was to allow for this scraping that the taper was but
approximated to, rather than completed, when planing
the edges of the strip.

Now number the strips with a lead-pencil on the rind
sides, in the order you intend them to go. Then place
two adjacent strips together
in the groove, thus : a a be-
ing the rind as before — that
is, with the rind side of each
strip in contact with the
sides of the groove. It may
be said once for all, that this
is always and invariably to
be the position of the rind
side when applying the plane
to the strips.
Now pass your plane over Fig. n.

270 Fly-rods wnd Fly4ac1de.

the exposed surface twice, or at most three times. Then
change the relative position of the strips, placing 1 where
2 was. The pith sides which were in contact will now
be exposed, and the surfaces you planed before will be
in contact. Take off two or three shavings, and then
return the strips to their original position, and repeat.
Continue this until the taper and size are very nearly but
not quite reached.

Both pairs having been thus treated, melt some fresh
glue, clo8ely*f oUowing therein the directions in the Chap-
ter on Repairs. The glue you so prepare you may re-melt
for future use three times, and not more. Then wash
your glue-pot out clean, and the next time start fresh.
Glass or china makes the best glue-pot, but any small tin
vessel — an old spice-box for example — will answer till
the tin rusts through. In the latter case solder on three
copper - wire legs about one - third of an inch long, and
punch a couple of holes near the rim that you may attach
a wire handle, like that usually used on pails. To suc-
ceed with glue, not only must it be fresh, but in melting
it must not be heated above the boiling-point of water.
Merely placing the glue-pot in another vessel containing
water, and applying heat to the latter is not sufficient
to insure this, since the heat may be conducted directly
through the bottom of one to the bottom of the other.
In the neglect of these seemingly trifling precautions will
be found the reason why a violin-maker will unite to last
for centuries the many parts of his complicated struct-
ure, and this with glue alone, and without a single nail
or screw, while another cannot thus join anything to
hold even for a few days. Therefore do not fail to raise
your glue-pot above the bottom of your water-bath, so
the fluid may surround it on all sides.

Rodrmakmg, 271

But we have made undue haste. Before the glue stage
we must see that we have a glue joint, that is, a contact
between the surfaces to be united, so close that the place
of union is scarcely perceptible. To accomplish this your
plane-blade must have had frequent intercourse with the
oil-stone, for in this material more than any other noth-
ing but ruin can be accomplished with a dull tool. But
no matter how careful you may have been in this, the
fibre will be more or less roughened at the knots. Smooth
these by "draw-filing" with your "mill-saw" file, hold-
ing each strip singly aird by itself in the groove. In or-
dinary filing the file is actuated in the direction of its
length; but this is not the case in "draw-filing." To do
the latter successfully, hold the file loosely in the hand
and close to the blade; extend the first finger so as to
bear upon the upper surface of the blade, and apply that
part of the under surface which is beneath the finger to
the work. Should you grasp the file firmly, and rely
upon the guidance of your hand alone to direct the file,
you would probably round the work more or less, there-
by impairing rather than improving your glue joint.
But by following the directions, if the file is not properly
applied at first, it instantly adapts itself to the surface
beneath ; and this, if flat at first, as it will be from the
operation of the plane, remains flat.

Now move your file to and fro, but sideways instead
of in the direction of its length. It is important that
this be well understood, because of its frequent use in
rod-making. Whenever inequalities occur to which it
is inconvenient to apply the plane, as for example, should
you so mismanage your rounding scraper as to form
local ridges, these are removed in this manner.

Having thus removed any local roughness caused by

272

Fly-rods and Fly-iaclde.

3«

Fig. 00.-

-At grooved strip ; B^ bamboo Btrip ; C, file ; arrows show direction of
motion.

the plane, make a loop in the end of a seven-foot piece
of strong linen thread such as is used in carpet-sewing ;
pass the loop over a hook secured in any convenient
manner, place together in their proper position two of
the bamboo strips which have been planed as a pair,
and fasten them temporarily together by winding the
thread spirally from the larger to the smaller end. To
do this, wind the end of the thread two or three times
around the strips until caught, and in such a manner
that it leads from the under side towards the hook ; then
putting a strain on it, wind it on spirally by turning the
strips from you. Having wound it, with the turns about
half an inch apart, to the small end, fasten ofP with a
couple of half hitches. Then examine the glue joint
carefully that it is a perfect fit ; and this it should be

Bodrmaking. 273

everywhere, except where the plane has torn up the
grain, if you have brought the bamboo to a knife edge.
Mark any defective places, and draw - file them till the
contact is perfect. Treat the other pair in the same
way ; then tie all four together in their proper order.

Fig. 60l— il, half hitch.

Scrutinize the accuracy of the joints carefully, and es-
pecially see that they so unite as to form a solid whole,
for the outer edges may meet perfectly, while the inner
are separated by an interval. If you are satisfied that
the union of all four is perfect to the centre, you may
proceed to finish your taper (which up to this point
you have only approximated to), and glue all four to-
gether at once ; but if you are not positive as to this,
then glue each pair together separately, winding them
with strong thread as before. In either case apply the
glue to each surface, and be sure it is not too thick lest
it chill and gelatinize before you can complete the wind-
ing, in which case the glue will not stick. Having com-
pleted the gluing, heat the entire tip over a gas flame
or chimney of a kerosene lamp, to re-melt any chilled
glue, should, by any chance, such be present. Then
with a second thread re -wind the tip in the opposite
direction. This will be correctly done if the two
threads so cross each other as to outline diamond-
shaped patterns upon the surface of the bamboo ; for
18

274 Fly-Toda and Fly4ackle.

during the first winding the tip will probably have be-
come twisted on its own axis. The second winding will
tend to twist it in the opposite direction, and thus neu-
tralize and remedy the defect This treatment may be
resorted to with profit, when uniting the parts of any
split - bamboo joint, no matter of how many strands it
may be made up.

Now, to return to the case in which it was deemed ad-
visable to glue the tip in pairs. Assuming them to have
been so glued and to have dried, file out from the angle
near the larger end a concave place to receive the point
of your drill — thus :

-A, concavity ; ll,hoIe.

Then wind twine tightly on both sides of the concavity,
that your drill may not split the glue joint apart, and
drill the hole, B. Insert a brass pin in the bottom of
one of the grooves and plane off the flat pith surface,
until your size and taper are both correct. Treat both
halves in this manner, glue them together as before di-
rected, and, when dry, your tip is ready to finish. By
this latter method solidity is assured, but the tip is not
so apt to turn out a perfect square as when all the four
quarters are united in one operation. If, however, you
accept and act on the sound principle that utility is par-
amount to beauty, you will uniformly adopt it in every
case in which the perfect solidity of the union of the
four strips is suspected.
To finish, draw-file the surface lightly to remove the

Rod-mahmg. 275

glue ; then draw - file the edges to form an octagon,
and thus leave it ; or apply your rounding scraper to
make it circular, as you may prefer. Either will answer.
Next sand-paper, after which fasten on your ferrule and
tip-ring. Then wind with O silk, wrapping at first four,
and afterwards three, narrow windings at equal distances
between each ring. Lastly varnish, finishing with a coat
or two of what is known in the trade as " flowing var-
nish," and dry as heretofore directed.

Except where otherwise specified, you will be obliged
to hold the strips in the groove, when planing, with your
left hand. Should you set your plane too rank, the strip
may slide under your hold ; and, since no glue joint can
be had without bringing the strips to a knife edge, dan-
ger of a nasty cut is risked. Therefore, hold the strip in
place by pressing upon it with a piece of leather or rubber.

Bamboo is very severe on a cutting edge, yet no good
result can be had unless that edge is keen. Therefore,
sharpen your plane frequently, giving particular atten-
tion to this when near the finish of any strip. Other-
wise, though it may cut smoothly between the knots, it
is apt to tear the fibre at those points, and give trouble.
This is also much more likely to occur if the strips are
sawed, instead of split out of the cane.

It is plain that this method is equally applicable to the
construction of a four-strip butt and middle joint, but in
this case use a wooden handle, since the formation of this
from the butt strips themselves will augment the diffi-
culties, without any corresponding advantage.

HEXAGONAL SPLIT-BAMBOO BODS.

This is the top notch of the art.

Up to the present writing I have never seen a profes-

276 FVy-Tods and Fly-tacUe.

flional rod-maker at work on a rod of this kind, nor have
I ever heard or read any description of the method by
them employed, except in such vague and general terms
as to be of little value as a practical guide. The follow-
ing process is one of some fifteen or twenty I have elab-
orated, and though it may excite a smile from the pro-
fessional when compared with his simpler and perhaps
more certain method, still I can day one thing with con-
fidence for it — it will, if carefully followed, give the de-
sired result.

But more difficult than to make the rod, is it to find
material of a quality fit for the purpose. For such a
rod of poor material, even though the workmanship be
unexceptionable, recalls the remark of Cicero concerning
Bibulus — " He is a man [it is a rod] upon whom [which]
no one but a philosopher can look without a groan."

Good bamboo is very rare, as has been before inti-
mated. The Calcutta variety is that almost universally
used in rod-making — that distinguished by the charred
marks on its exterior.

In selecting it choose the heaviest canes. Examine
them narrowly for worm holes, particularly at the knots,
pounding with the butt of the cane, when in an approxi-
mately horizontal position, upon the floor, to see if any yel-
low worm-dust shakes out. The effect which these pests
produce on the cane is singular. They seem to feed on
the pithy interior only, perforating the rind compara-
tively but seldom. But where they have crossed the
fibre, though the exterior is apparently unaffected, still
the strength at that point is absolutely destroyed. No
strip so marked, even at but one single point, must ever
be introduced into a rod, for there it has not the strength
of the weakest pine. Make this a matter of principle at

Rod^makmg. 277

the outset, for you will often be tempted to use a piece
excellent in all other respects, except that one little trans-
verse groove on its inner surface. But you must resist the
temptation, or you sacrifice the one merit which amateur
work should always have — ^honesty.

Next examine the cane, to see how much available ma-
terial it contains. The opposite sides, marked at the
knots by the eyes where the leaves once grew, are al-
ways worthless. Therefore, direct y«ur attention to the
intermediate portions. Scrutinize the bums carefully,
for if these are so deep as to destroy the cuticle, the
strength has been destroyed as well. One deep burn
may utterly ruin a cane otherwise excellent. Next see
that it is fairly straight, and the knots not too protuber-
ant. Then look to the color of the cuticle. A boxwood
yellow is a good sign, while a uniform, or partly uniform,
bluish cast of color is a bad indication. Neither of these
color rules are, however, without frequent exception, so
if everything else seems propitious, you may risk a de-
fect in this.

I am aware that a bluish color is usually regarded as
fatal, while a bright straw-colored interior is considered
an equally sure indication of merit ; and I have reason
to believe that the consciei^ious maker not unf requently
rejects or accepts his material on these characteristics
alone — exterior defects of course excepted. During the
last fifteen years I have split very many canes, and never
without applying the tests described on pages 270 and
280. One of the strongest and most elastic bamboos I
ever saw was decidedly off color. While running a rapid
stream in a canoe last September, I was thrown backward
from my seat by a tree which had fallen across the stream.
We thought we could squeeze under it, and thus save the

378 Fly^rods cmd Fly-tacJde.

trouble of hauling the canoe over the obstruction. We
discovered our mistake only when fully committed to
abide the result. My rod, a hexagonal split-bamboo nine
feet and eleven inches long, and between seven and eight
ounces in weight, and of my own make, lay upon the
thwarts of the canoe, so that it might not become en-
tangled in the overhanging bushes and trees, under which
the tortuous channel frequently compelled us to take our
way. I fell with the whole weight of my body upon the
middle joint, striking it between the thwarts, there some
three feet apart, and where the bamboo had nothing but
its own strength to oppose to the shock. But two of the
six strands gave way, and those splintered in such a fash-
ion that they were readily returned to position, and, with
the aid of a little glue, the joint was restored to its pris-
tine strength and usefulness. Such is the strength of this
material when really first-class. Yet the bamboo of which
this joint was composed was quite blue in color.

I theorize in regard to this matter in the following man-
ner, and deduce the following conclusion : A cane may
discolor from a fermentation, or analogous change, in
its own constituent elements ; or from contact with a
discolored fluid. If the cane is free from sap, it is but
a bundle of capillary tubes, and the immersion of one
end of these tubes in such a fluid would cause them to
be filled by it, in accordance with well - known natural
laws. In the first case the change in color would indi-
cate a change in structure, while in the second it would
but show the presence of foreign coloring matter, not
necessarily more injurious than the dust upon a shelf is
to the strength of that shelf. My conclusion, based upon
this theory, and so amply confirmed by actual experiment
that I assert it with as much confidence as any other

Bodrmdhmg, 279

declaration in this book, is that the tests described in the
last paragraph below are the only sure guide to a correct
conclusion as to the quality of bamboo, and that they
should never be omitted. I desire to be quite emphatic in
the expression of this opinion, that the beginner may take
it to heart, and make it a cardinal principle in split-bam-
boo rod-making.

Again and again have gentlemen selected bamboo for
me, who insisted and believed that they could discrimi-
nate at a glance between the fit and the unfit. This I
knew I could not do. The event has invariably shown
that the utmost value which could be given to the choice
was a balance of probability in favor of its correctness,
and by no means the certainty of excellence which should
always precede the expenditure of the skill and labor re-
quired in this work. Remember it is just as difficult to
make a rod from poor stuff as good, and that the first, no
matter how exquisite the workmanship, will be as infe-
rior, practically, to the poorest wooden rod, as a split-bam-
boo of first-class cane is superior to the best that can be
constructed from any other known material.

Five feet from the butt end will be all you can use,
unless the cane is unusually large. Next split with a
table-knife, as directed under *' Tips," and get out the
strips which include the " eyes " from which the leaf
grew, and which, though worthless for rod-making, are
invaluable for testing purposes. First bend them with
the rind concave, and thus determine how elastic it is.
Most bamboo will, however, respond to this test pretty
well. Then bend them with the rind convex. Here
they will "take a set" — ». €., not recover entirely. If
this is considerable, more seasoning is required, and the
cane is not yet fit to put in a rod. If it is slight, and

280

Fly-Tods and Fly-tackle.

the strip feels prompt to recover, and sprightly, it is all
right so far. Now test the strength by breaking both
strips at short intervals throughout their length. If they
uniformly break gradually and with difficulty, and with a
splintering and broom-like fracture, the bamboo is good ;
but if, as will more frequently be the case, they break
short off, and the bamboo slivers but little, they are
worthless. Any cane which has strength, but is deficient
in elasticity, tie together with the interior exposed to
the air, label it *^ strong but not elastic," and store it
away till further seasoning cures this defect ; but if
wanting in strength, saw it up for kindling - wood, and
be rid of it.

Now let us assume that six good strips have been ob-
tained. Arrange them side by side, so that no knot is
abreast of another — *' slip the joints " as some term it —
and cut off to the proper length, or an inch in excess of
that. File off the knots, and square up the edges as di-
rected in the preceding section, approximating closely
to the taper and width. Now a little tool-making is in
order.

Fig. 09.

Let the diagram above represent your smaller ^'Bai-
ley " plane. Drill two holes through the sides (A A)^
so as to admit the passage of a f-inch round-headed
wood-screw, and this so that the interior construction

Rod-maki/ng.

281

of the plane will permit the screw to be inserted from
within outward — i, e., so the head is inside, and the
point appears on the exterior of the plane. It will be a
close shave at the handle end, but it is possible. Any
one who has a lathe will do this for you in five minutes.

Now construct the following diagram, or as much of it
as may be considered
necessary to obtain
the result indicated
hereafter:

A represents a IJ-
inch strip of pine,
four feet long ; B
your Bailey plane, of
which C is the bot-
tom and D D the
sides; E an equilat-
eral triangle, which,
since all sides are
equal, must also have
equal angles of sixty
degrees each, and this
is the angle you re-
quire; l«^an end sectional view of a block of wood, to be
screwed to the side of your plane; and the object of the
diagram is to enable you to so set a bevel square, or to so
cut a piece of thin sheet metal, as to guide you in ob-
taining the angle, Cr, on such a block.

It is clear that if a piece of bamboo is rigidly confined
in the rabbet of the strip, A^ and your plane is applied
with a block {F)y so formed, attached, that if the bottom,
H, of that block rests on your planing board while the
plane is. actuated, it must produce the proper angle of six-

Fig. 63.

282 Fly^ods tmd Fly-tackle.

ty degrees. Unfortunately these conditions are difficult
to produce exactly in practice, for the rind side of the
bamboo, which rests on the bottom of the rabbet, and
which must in this, as in all the steps of rod - making
with this material, by no means be touched with the
plane, is not flat but rounding, and is consequently in-
clined to roll somewhat and thus vary the angle. There-
fore we must devise some means of holding the bamboo
during this process as rigidly as possible.

Having procured two or three of the rabbeted strips,
-4, screw two cross-pieces to the upper surface, about
twenty -four inches apart — as shown in the following
plan and sectional views (Figs. 64l&nd 65), in which A

:z:

Fig. 66.

Fig. 64.

represents the strip, J3JB the rabbets, and C one of the
cross-pieces :

If then the bamboo strip is placed in position, and
soft wood wedges be inserted between its upper surface
and the cross-pieces, it will be held as firmly as one can
well secure it. Then apply the plane as directed, and bev-
el off as much as you can of the bamboo lying between
the cross-pieces, say about eighteen inches. . Bring the
bevel almost, but not quite, to a knife edge with the rind
side. Then shift the bamboo, so as to present a fresh

degrees. It would
be well to file such

Rod-'maTdng. 288

surface between the cross-pieces, proceed as before, and
repeat this until you have one side of the strip ^

bevelled its whole length. Then turn the bam-
boo strip end for end, and finish the other side
in the same manner. This should be the result
(Fig. 66), A being the rind side ; B the apex pi^ee.
of the angle formed by the two pith sides, C C.

Now test your angle, j5, with a notch filed in a piece
of brass with an ordinary triangular saw-file — that vari-
ety known by the astonishing name of a " three-sq^uare "
file is meant. This file having three equal sides, must
have three equal angles, and consequently the angle we
wish — viz., sixty

a notch, and also Fig. 67.

an angle to fit it, as

shown by Fig. 67, and keep them for permanent use as

gauges.

Now we will suppose that the six strips have been
bevelled. The gauge is applied, and we will assume
that you find the angle either incorrect or " lop-sided."
File up two or three scraping notches in a scrap of your
saw steel (mentioned near the beginning of this chapter)
with your triangular file, and

holding the steel in the vise, V\/'\/^\r\f
draw the strip through one of V V V V
these notches, being careful to
insist that the rind be horizon-
tal. Thus true the angle wher- pjg ^
ever it may require it. The
accompanying illustration represents such a scraper.

It is obvious that it is possible, and for a first effort,

284 Fly-^ods and Fly4acJde.

or if bat a single rod is proposed, it may be profitable,
to employ this scraper alone to bring as thas far on our
way, instead of preparing the plane and providing the
rabbeted strip, as heretofore described. Or one fairly
skilled in the ase of the plane may place his sqaare strip
of bamboo in a groove, as shown ander the head of
" Tips ;" but the groove, however, must be one of sixty,
instead of ninety degrees as there shown. Then by
using the plane as there described, aided by frequent
resort to the gauge shown in the preceding figure, he
may accomplish the same result with far less labor than
if the scraper alone were relied on. The object sought
is to obtain a true angle of sixty degrees opposite the
middle of the rind side of the piece of bamboo in hand
— not to make a glue joint, which is a subsequent step.
I have successfully used all these, and many other ways
to accomplish this result, and doubtless additional, and
possibly better methods still, will suggest themselves to
the ingenious reader.

Next you must provide some grooved strips differing
from those described in the preceding section, only in
that the angle at the bottom of the groove must be sixty,
instead of ninety degrees.

You will be compelled either to order, or make your-
self, a special plane to make this groove, or to build up
these strips of two pieces, glued or screwed together.
Assuming you have chosen the latter course, you will at
once perceive your Bailey plane with its block attach-
ment will be a great aid. For if it will, when applied as
directed, give the proper angle to a strip of bamboo, it
will serve the same purpose when applied to a strip of
wood. So procuring two pieces of wood, take off the cor-
ners, as shown by the dotted lines (Fig. 69), and fasten

Rod^makmg,

285

them together. If the angle is incorrect, remove the
handle of your triangular file, and rub it to and fro in
the groove until the error is rectified.

Fig. 69.

Should you conclude to order a plane for the purpose,
consult a hardware dealer or a carpenter as to the
maker. My plane cost $1.90. Make a sample of the
groove you wish, and send with order, to lessen the pos-
sibility of mistake.

The grooved strips in which you intend to finish the
component parts of each joint should be of hard wood —
pine will serve for the others. For since a joint of this
kind cannot well be altered after it is glued together, it
is plain the taper and consequent action of the rod must
be determined at the same time with the angle, and this
without the opportunity for trial and local modification
which a wooden rod affords. Therefore some definite
rule for this must be established at the outset. Perhaps,
all things considered, a true taper for each joint promises
the most certain result — at all events for the middle

286 FVy-Tods omd FVy-tacJcle.

joint and tip. The bntt may be modified a little, to di-
minish its stiffness near the handle.

With a hexagonal piece of hard wood, tapered some-
what, aided by a small hammer, give an hexagonal form
to that end of all of your ferrules which is to overlie a
joint. A careful measurement of these will give the
width of each end of each strip. Then, having deter-
mined the length, with your largest Bailey plane, plane
off the grooved side of the strip until the groove corre-
sponds with that width at the proper points, and tapers,
or narrows, uniformly between those points. Though no
guide but the eye regulates the process, it will be found
sufficient, provided care be used and undue haste to fin-
ish be avoided. Remember it is easier to take off than
add on, and therefore use your utmost skill and patience.
Have your plane-bit keen, and set it " fine'' towards the
finish, frequently "sighting" the groove, as though it
were a rifie, during the progress of the job. You cannot
be too careful, for you are now deciding the action of
your rod, and whether it shall be good, bad, or indiffer-
ent. This being properly completed, place each strip in
turn in one of the pine grooves, selecting one above the
surface of which the bamboo projects but little, and take
off a shaving, first on one side and then on the other,
alternately. When the bamboo is worked down to a
level with that groove, change to a shallower, and so con>
tinue till you think it is time for the finish. When all
the strips are in this condition, put the keenest possible
edge on your plane-bit, and set it " fine.'' Mark the sur-
face of your appropriate finishing grooved strip all over
with a lead-pencil, or otherwise, so that nothing can be
taken from it by the plane without attracting your at-
tention at once. Then plane down each strip, first a

Modr^iakmg. 287

shaving from one side and then one from the other, and
thus alternately, until the strip is {lush with the surface
of the groove as it lies within it. Lest you should unin-
tentionally remove, during this process, something from
the grooved strip, and thus destroy the integrity of the
groove, which is the sole guide to the required taper and
width of the bamboo itself, you were directed to mark
the surface ; and that should this accident happen, that
it may be of as little moment as possible, hard rather
than soft wood was advised for the finishing grooved
strips.

Not only should the glue joints be perfect, and the ac-
tion true, but a well-made hexagonal rod should present
a perfect hexagon at every part of its length. There-
fore all those strips which are to be united together must
everywhere correspond in width. This, as well, is deter-
mined by your finishing grooved strips. Indeed I may
say they are the key to the position, therefore see to it
they are well made.

Now proceed to number each strip in its intended or-
der, to wind them together with string, to examine the
character of your glue joints, to draw-file the imperfec-
tions, and finally to glue them together, straighten them,
and in all things relevant follow the directions for mak-
ing four-strip tips, as given in the preceding section. The
process of winding on the rings is elsewhere described
in this chapter, as well as varnishing, except that the
winding should precede the varnishing, and the rubbing
down with pumice-stone should be omitted. Between
each ring a number of narrow windings should be placed
at any distance, less than three inches on the butt, that
may suit the fancy. The interval between and width of
these windings should gradually diminish towards and to

288 Fly-Tods and Fly-tackle.

the end of the tip. When about to glue together, num-
ber each strip on each of its faces, so you can select
the proper one at once. Get the assistance of another
if you can, apply the glue to each strip in turn on both
sides for half its length, then as they are taken up one
after the other, before .you lay each beside its neighbor,
run the glued surfaces over a gas or lamp flame to re-
store the glue to perfect fluidity, and then wind as di-
rected to within about three inches of where the glue
ends. Then, your friend holding the strips apart, apply
the glue to the remaining surfaces, warm as before, par-
ticularly near where the first gluing ended, and wind
together as directed.

Four-strip tips will work in perfect harmony with a
hexagonal butt and middle joint. Indeed the tip, so long
as it be light, and nervous in action, is the least impor-
tant part of the rod. I assume that an independent han-
dle will be used, whether united to the butt joint with a
ferrule, or permanently glued thereto.

I finish this chapter with many misgivings. At one
moment I fear I have been prolix beyond endurance, at
the next, lest some important step has been overiooked,
taken by me as a matter of course, but not necessarily
so by the beginner for whose benefit I have written. I
can well imagine the smile with which the professional
rod-maker will regard my doubtless clumsy and unnec-
essarily elaborate methods. In self-defence I can only
say that beyond what I was able to gather from Thad-
deus Norris's " American Angler," I have never had the
advantage of advice or assistance in rod-making. Each
step has been sought and found through much experi-
ment, and many a failure. Simpler and better methods

Rod-making, 289

there well may be ; but one thing I know, though the
way may be devious the end is sure.

If others, in following the precepts of this chapter, shall
derive therefrom some portion of the recreation rod-
making has afforded me — if the coming generation of
anglers feel towards me but a tithe of the gratitude and
sense of obligation with which I regarded Mr. Norris
when I was a beginner, I shall be quite content with the
reward of my labor.

290 Fly-rods and Fly4ac1de.

CHAPTER Vm.

REPAIRS.

This chapter has been written on the assumption that
the reader is ntterly ignorant of this most important
branch of the art. That such actually is the case with
altogether too many who are otherwise experts, we all
know. That such should not be the case we are also aware.
Nothing in relation to the art will better repay the be-
ginner, and those who lack this information, than a care-
ful study — not merely reading over, but careful study in
the scholar's sense of the term — of this chapter. For to
say nothing of benefit to yourself at a crisis, what pleas-
ure can be greater than to be able to rescue a brother
angler from the consequences of disaster to his tackle,
and to receive thanks which you know are really sin-
cere and heartfelt. At the expense of a little trouble,
nay, rather while amusing yourself, you have at the same
time made a friend, and put him on the watch for oppor-
tunity to requite the obligation.

But it is to the first of these inducements we most
confidently appeal; for if that elicits no response, a moral
defect is evidenced fatal to the hope that that man will
ever become a true angler.

Many think this art hopelessly intricate, and are dis-
couraged from any effort to acquire it ; but this is a
great mistake, for there is nothing in it insurmountable
to the humblest mechanical skill. The most common

Repairs. 291

error is to attempt the result, while utterly ignoring the
means by which the result is to be obtained — as though
a man should wish to keep books without first learning
how to write.

First acquire a few very simple principles, and the rest
follows " like rolling off a log.**

As we said before, this -chapter is written as addressed
to one utterly ignorant of this branch; and this for two
reasons : first, because for the benefit of such it is in-
tended; and second, because it is the most direct way to
accomplish the end in view.

At the foundation of the majority of repairs lies cov-
ering and strengthening the injured part with a layer of
silk thread, tightly wrapped around it. It is thus that
rings are secured to rods, and breaks repaired.

Do you know how to wind a string around a stick ?
That is what we are about to do. But if you really wish
to learn from what follows — if you really wish for suc-
cess, you must, as in your every-day life, accept the con-
ditions of success.

As to knots, and manipulations of that kind, the con-
dition of success is this: Actually try each step with
the book before you, and following its directions ; be
sure you understand that step before you essay the next.
Thus you will be led to the goal as easily as you walk
from your parlor to your dining-room, with hardly an
appreciable effort. But if you attempt to cover the
ground in either case with a leap, you court and will
meet failure.

Now to our lesson (see Fig. 70).

Take a round cane and a piece of fish-line — or string
of similar size. Wax your string. It will facilitate you.
Hold the cane in your left hand, knuckles up and thumb

2W Fh/'Tods cmd FlyAacUe.

to the right. Place the end, A^ on top of the cane some-
where near the middle, and nip it at B with the thumb
to keep it in place. Bring the end G over the cane on

Pig. 70.

the side towards you, and downward ; next under the cane,
and upward, but on the side away from you ; then over
the top of the cane and the end A^ and hold G in your
right hand. In brief you have wrapped the part G once
around the cane and over the part A^ confining that part
to the cane. Now placing some part of the cane to the
right of where you have begun to wind, behind any-
thing, Ey against which you can pull, proceed to turn the
cane around on the axis of its length, keeping a steady
strain on the end G with your right hand. You thus
roll the line upon the cane, just as thread is rolled on a
spool, or a rope on a windlass, drawing your right hand
up to the cane, unless you allow the line to slip through
your fingers. You will have no difficulty in guiding the
part C7, so that each turn shall lie in close contact with
its predecessor.

You have rolled on four complete turns, which envel-
ope the cane and the part A (Fig. 71), confining the lat-

Bepaws, 2W

ter to the cane. Now shift your left thumb over upon,
and nip the coils you have just made, c, so they cannot
unwind. Seize the end A^ and draw the slack of the first
turn, 6, up to and against the others. Then continue

Fig. 71.

your winding for any desired length, always doing this
by using the cane as a roller, turning it from you. You
will make each succeeding turn lie more neatly against
its predecessor, if you allow your right hand to be
drawn up to the cane, rather than permit the line to slip
through your fingers. When shifting the right hand
backward for a fresh hold on the part (7, nip the turns
you have completed with the thumb of your left hand,
lest they unwind ; as, indeed, you will do in any case
when- you wish to free your right hand for the moment.

We have now completed the first step. You see that it
is a simple matter, and one within the scope of the most
limited mechanical ability. Notwithstanding, repeat this
at least four times more, winding an inch and a half each
time, before proceeding to the next step.

This is to fasten off the end (7, for we cannot hold it
forever.

There are two methods of accomplishing this — one
easily acquired but of more limited applicability ; the

294 Fly-rods cmd Fly4acTde.

other a little more difficalt, but at the same time equal
to every emergency.

The first consists merely in this — that instead of plac-
ing the end A as before, you double it as shown in the
following figure, placing the bight, a, where the end A

Fig. 72.

was in the former case, and letting the actual end A ex-
tend at least three or four inches to the left of where
you wish to wind. Having completed your winding, nip
the coils with the right thumb. Then with the left hand
pull on the end A until you have reduced the bight, a,
to very small dimensions — say one-quarter of an inch or
less. Now with the right hand cut the part C about two
inches in length, and insert the end through the bight, a,
close to the winding. Then seizing the end A, draw the
bight, a, through and under the winding, which will of
course carry the end C with it, and confine it under the
coils. Then cut off the ends close, and the job is com-
plete. Try this at least four times, and then proceed to
the next step.

This is the real " invisible knot," and a knowledge of
it should be considered absolutely indispensable to the
angler. Begin as before. Having wrapped four or five

Repairs.

295

times over the end A^ so that it is perfectly secured,
cut it off as close as you can to the wrapping, so that
you have only the end C remaining. Now proceed
with the winding until within four turns of as far as you
wish it to extend ; then nip the coils already made with
the left thumb so they cannot unwind, cutting off the
end C, so that it is about a foot long. Now drop it
down between you and the cane, next under and then
upward behind the cane, so as to form a loop, say, three
inches across, hanging below the cane, thus :

FJg.73.

If you meet any difficulty at all with this knot it will
be here. Remember the end G passes downward on
the side towards you, and upward on the side atoat/ from
you. Hold the cane, as soon as you nip the coils with
your left thumb, so that hand points to the right, and
the first and second fingers are free. Throw the large
loop over those fingers to keep it open. Then make
three or four turns of the end C, between the point
where the large loop meets the cane, a, and the wind-
ings you wish to fasten, b, winding towards the latter.
You will find this operation facilitated by throwing the
end (7 at every turn, after making the large loop, be-

dfNI

Fly-rods a/nd Fhj4a(Me.

tween the first and second fingers of the left hand,
holding it thus until you can reach over the cane with
the right hand, and draw the end G through the loop.
Now pass the end C to the left, under the left thumb,
and hold it down on the windings already made, b ^
then hook your right first finger in the large loop, and
putting a strain on it, revolve the cane and proceed with
the winding as at first. You will thus wind on as many
turns over the end C as you made between a and 5,
and in close contact with those you wish to fasten. For
every wind you so add you will, if you have followed
the directions carefully and correctly, see one of those
between a and h unwind, and will at length have the
result shown, thus :

Fig. 74.

Now seize the end C, and draw up the slack of the
large loop until it lies in close contact with the windings
you are fastening. Cut off the end as close as you can,
and it is done. Repeat this until firmly fixed in your
mind, and you have made an acquisition that will many
times repay the trouble.

Now let us apply this lesson, taking at the same time
another step forward.

Repairs. 397

Scene. — TroiU- stream.

^OLER, VMCting a very melancholy-looking individtuil toitk the frag-
menta of a trout-rod in his hands; Novice, equipped for fishing, but
with a broken rod. Time, 8 a.m.

Angles. Good-morning, sir ; what luck ?

Novice. The trout are rising fairly well ; I have caught
a few nice ones. But I have just had the misfortune to
break my middle joint about a foot below the smaller
end. I have come a long distance to enjoy a couple of
days' fishing, and my opportunities are few ; and as I
have no spare piece to take its place, I am afraid my fish-
ing is at an end unless I take to bait, and for that I have
little taste. So I suppose I may say I have had poor
luck.

Angleb. How did it happen ?

Novice. It may be I was using too long a line for the
distance I wished to cover. I saw a nice-looking spot,
and when I cast, my flies reached the water considerably
beyond it. Instead of shortening my line, I undertook
to draw my flies across the spot ; and when my rod was
nearly upright, a nice fish struck my drop-fly, and you
see the result. I am but a beginner, having fished with
the fiy but a few times before, and am self-taught ; I
suppose I must expect to make mistakes, but it is none
the less provoking to lose all the sport which I had an-
ticipated with so much pleasure.

Angler. Many a good rod is broken in that way.
Let me see the break. Why, this is not so bad. Why
don't you splice it ?

Novice. I don't know how.

Angles. Have you silk, wax, and a file in your fly-
book?

996 Fhf^roda and Fh/4acJde.

Novice. No^ I have nothing of the kind, I am sorry
to say.

Angler. It will make no difference, for I have them.
And since you say you are a beginner, I will repair this
accident for you, and at the same time give you a few
hints which may be of value in the future.

Novice. I shall be very much obliged if you will be
so kind.

Angler. It is, or should always be, a pleasure for one
4 angler to help another ; so look and listen, and if there
is anything you do not understand stop me at once. But
first I would say, never go on a stream again without
plenty of silk, of the sizes known in the stores as A
or jB, in your fly-book, together with a little cobbler's
wax flattened out between the folds of a piece of an
old kid-glove. A quantity of wax which, if spherical,
would measure half an inch in diameter is about the
thing. Also you should have a flat file of rather coarse
cut, and with the blade from five to six inches long and
from one -half to three-quarters of an inch wide, like
this. You see the tang is broken off the file, and thus
Bhortened I can carry it in my fly-book, and never know
it is there till I need it for use.

Now see ; I take my pocket-knife, and cut a long slope
on each of the broken ends, being careful to make them
incline in different ways, and of such slope that when
they are laid together the rod will not be larger than
before. I also see to it that the splice is so situated, that
the rings on the two pieces will be in line when they
are united. There, I have finished cutting, and you sec
when I place the pieces together the rings are in line ;
but you also notice that the joint is not a very good fit.
Now we will resort to the file. You notice that I lay

Bepaws, 299

the file down and place the splice upon it ; and while
rubbing the joint to and fro on the file, I press the
wood down upon it with the fingers of my left hand.
From time to time I look at the splice, and see how the
filing progresses.

Fig. 76.— il B, portions of broken Joint; C, splice.

I The file will cut most rapidly where the pressure is
greatest, so that by varying the pressure with a little
judgment, the splice is soon made perfectly true, as I
have done this. Now we will finish the other ; so, there
they are complete. Now place them together and see
what you think of it.

Novice. They fit perfectly. The rod is not enlarged
and the rings are in line. I am astonished that it could
be done in so short a time, and by means so simple. I
really believe I could do it myself.*

Angler. Without the slightest doubt. In mechanics
as in life, skill consists in adapting your means to your
end ; the desired result then almost necessarily follows.
You see that when I rubbed the splice on the file only
the high places touched. Of course these were soon cut
away, and the surface became even of itself, so to speak.

Now we have to unite the splice, and you will then be

* If the meaus or the skill to make a perfect fit are wanting, the splice
should be so made that the joint is there enlarged ; otherwise it may
be **soft" at the splice — i.e.^ inferior to the neighboring parts of the rod
in stiffness — when it will almost certainly give way again. Subsequcnt-
ly, and under more favorable circumstances, the splice can be taken
apart, properly fitted, and permanently repaired with glue.

300 Fh/^oda and Fhf4ackle.

ready to continue yoar sport. If this was in the even-
ing I should melt some fresh glue — ^fish-glue (or isin-
glass as it is sometimes called) if it could be had. Hav-
ing completely melted some of this in sufficient water,
so that it felt between the thumb and finger as if it had
considerable, but not too much body, I should apply it
to each surface, bring them together, wrap them tightly
with a dry string, then wet the string with warm water
to swell it and make it still tighter, and set it away till
morning. Then you would hardly have been able to
find where the wood was joined together.

Novice. I have tried to use glue, but could never
make it stick any to speak of.

Angler. Considerable art, or, I should say, a little
knowledge is required to use glue successfully. In the
first place, where all possible strength is required, as in
fishing-rods, the glue used should be perfectly fresh. By
that I mean glue that has never been melted before. It
should by no means be too thick, since then it rapidly
gelatinizes, and in this condition it has no adhesive pow-
er. The best test is to try a drop between the finger
and thumb ; if it feels slightly unctious, it is thick
enough. Then warm the surfaces to be united, apply
the glue, and tie them together as described, and you
will have no difficulty. Fish-glue is to be preferred, par-
ticularly that known as '' Russian isinglass," since it has
more strength in the first place, and that strength is not
so apt to become impaired by time ; but it must be han-
dled promptly dnce it soon jellies, in which condition it
will not stick at all. Some advocate adding a drop or
two of nitric acid to the melted glue, or melting the
glue in vinegar, either of which will destroy this gelati-
nizing property, so you can take your time in uniting the

Repairs. 801

fragments; and they insist that this does not impair
the strength of the glue. While this seems to be true,
these liquid glues have one very serious defect not to be
overlooked, the more particularly since they may now
be bought at almost any hardware-shop, and their al-
ways-ready character makes them so convenient to use.
They, one and all, as far as I have ever seen, are prone
to absorb moisture if given the opportunity, and so loose
their grip. Good, ordinary glue, well applied in the ordi-
nary way, will resist unimpaired many times an exposure
fatal to the liquid glues. They are, therefore, in my
judgment, unfit for rod-work. Some prefer to melt it in
skimmed milk, since glue so prepared is insoluble in wa-
ter after it dries. Some, again, soften the glue by soak-
ing it over-night in cold water. The next day it will
resemble a stiff jelly, though retaining its original form.
These pieces are then dried with a cloth, and melted in
boiled linseed-oil, and thus another waterproof glue can
be made. This last is, however, a tedious drier. But I
have always feared to try these when anything depended
on the result, and so cannot speak of their respective
merits from my own knowledge. One thing, however, I
do know, that if your joints fit and are tightly brought
together, so as to squeeze out all the glue possible, it
will, even with ordinary glue, take hours of soaking in
water, and the subsequent application of considerable
and continued heat, before they can be separated.

But this repair must be made on the spur of the mo-
ment, so gluing is out of the question. Tou see I warm
the splices and my cobbler's wax, and coat both the for-
mer with the latter. I now place them together in the
position in which they are to remain, squeeze them tight-
ly together so the layers of wax between will coalesce.

80d Fly-rods <md Fly-tackle.

and hold them in that position a moment for the wux to
stiffen a little. I now wind this string around them for
about half their length to hold them in position, and they
are ready to wrap with silk. H^ng waxed my ailk well
with the cobbler's wax, I wind it on, as yon see, as tight-
ly as the strength of the silk will well bear, being care-
ful that each turn shall lie close beside its predecessor.
I have wound up to the string, which may now be re-
moved since the wrappings already on will steady the
splice ; and now I have wrapped the splice its whole
length, and it only remains to fasten the winding, and
we are through. Watch me closely. You will notice
I cut the silk so I have about a foot of end. I hold
the windings already made in place with my left thumb,
pass the end of the silk downward between me and the
rod, under it, upward on the other side, and then over
the rod. Thus I make a large open loop, within which I
take three or four turns of the end around the rod, and
running towards the completed winding that I am hold-
ing with my left thuimb. To these two points I wish
particularly to call your attention, since if you make no
mistake here you will have no difficulty in mastering
this knot. I then finish thus, and cut off the end as close
as I can. You see it requires close inspection to discover
how the silk is fastened, so neat is the finish. This is
one of the most valuable acquisitions an angler can
make, for without this knot I could not have securely
repaired your rod. As soon as you conveniently can,
cover the winding with two or three coats of shellac, or
better still some oil varnish, if you can wait for it to dry,
and your rod will, if you meet with no further accident,
last for years. Now put it together and try it. How
does it feel ?

Hepaira. 808

Novice. It seems a little stiffer, and lighter in the
hand than before.

Anglbb. Both necessarily follow from shortening the
rod, which of coarse cannot be avoided in making a
splice. Bat I notice a ring is missing from yoar rod.
Bring it to me this evening at the farm-honse where I
am lodging and I will replace it.

NoviCB. I am a thoasand times obliged to yon for
yoar kindness.

Angles. Not at'all. Only remember never to go fish-
ing again without silk, wax, a knife, and a file ; for with
these you can repair on the spot most of the accidents
to which an angler is liable, while withoat them yoa will
be helplessly crippled. Good-day, and good-luck.

Time, evening; same parties.

NoviCB. Good-evening. Yoa see I have brought my
rod as you suggested.

Anglbb. You have done well. What luck did you
have after we parted this morning?

Novice. Oh, not so bad. But it is not essential to
my enjoyment of stream fishing that I take a trout every
five minutes. The cool fragrant air, the music of the
running water, and the beauties of the trees and flowers
which shade and grace the stream — ^these, together with
the constant endeavor to improve my cast, and the sense
that my efforts were not in vain, made the day one con-
stant pleasure, though I caught but few fish and those
not large.

Anglbb. You have the true angler's spirit, and this
makes it a double pleasure to assist and instruct you.

NoviCB. While you are finishing your cigar, and be-

804 Fhy-Tods and Fly-tdcMe.

fore we enter on new ground, I should like to ask you
one or two questions about mending broken rods. How
long should the splice be by which the fragments are
united? For it seems to me that a short splice can
hardly stand the strain inseparable from use ; while, on
the other hand, an excessive length unnecessarily short-
ens the rod.

Angler. The question is very pertinent. The length
of the splice should be at least twelve times the diam-
eter of the joint at the break, perhaps even a little more
if the rod is very dense in the grain. It is well in such
case to roughen the surfaces you propose to unite, or to
score them obliquely and in a criss-cross manner, thus:

Fig, 70.— J, JoiDt; Bt eplioe, scored. .

But these scores should be very oblique and very shallow,
or you may divide and so lose the strength of some of the
fibres. The purpose is to give a better hold to whatever
adhesive substance you use to unite the parts.

Novice. It has occurred to me that the method you
showed me this morning is not applicable to a break
close to a ferrule, for there is then nothing to form one
part of the splice from. What course should then be
followed ?

Anglbb. This is either one of the most difficult, or one
of the simplest of emergent repairs, according to the
construction of the rod. If the rod is united by simple
ferrules without dowels, and if the ferrules are merely
cemented in place instead of fastened by a pin, then the
repair is a trifling matter. And after balancing all I

Repairs. 805

have heard or can imagine on all sides of the question, I
cannot bnt think that both the dowel and the fastening
pin should be excluded from fly-rods. I have been driven
to this conclusion not merely because of difiiculty of re-
pair, but by other considerations of equal or even greater
force, into the discussion of which we will not enter now.

When the rod gives away at the ferrule, the break is
always short across. If you have no dowels to consider,
trim the broken end square with your knife, warm the
ferrule and push out the broken portion, and replace the
ferrule on the joint, using some of your cobbler's wax to
cement it in place. But if your rod has dowelled ferrules
— ^by which I mean those in which the upper ferrule is pro-
vided with a tenon to enter and fit a hole in the joint below
— ^then, if your rod is a fine one, you are indeed in trouble.
Let us assume the break is above the ''male," or entering
ferrule. You have now the accident in its least embar-
rassing form. For if you have means at hand to drive
out the fastening pin, you can bum out the broken piece,
and proceed as before. The construction of a new dowel
from the body of the joint itself should never be at-
tempted, since, aside from the difiiculty of making it per-
fectly central and a good fit, it shortens the rod to a
degree not to be thought of, except in case of absolute
necessity. The maker will, on your return home, insert
a new piece, and the loss wiU be only equal to the length
of your ferrule.

If, on the other hand, the break is below the female, or
outside ferrule, the accident is more serious. Assuming
you have cleared the ferrule of the broken portion, and
can replace it as before, how are you to bore the hole to
receive and fit the dowel ? This clearly requires a spe-
cial tool not readily found in the neighborhood of most

306 Fly-rods and Fly4acJde.

trout streams. The only practical recourse is, then, to
cut off the dowel from the male ferrule, replace the fe-
male ferrule as before, and use your rod without the
dowel, until you can put it in the maker's hands.

If the dowel seems part of the metal of the male fer-
rule, as is generally the case in fine rods, you must file
or saw it off only as a very last resort. It is usually
only united to the ferrule by soft solder, and if you heat
it well you can unsolder and remove it without injury.

Some rods, however, are mounted with ferrules the
bore of which is smaller at the mouth than within. In
such the dowel is absolutely indispensable, since it alone
steadies the end of the entering joint and prevents it
from shaking. I cannot but think this a vicious con-
struction, if for no other reason, because it offers not the
slightest advantage over the cylindrical ferrule, while a '
break of the kind under consideration at once disables
the rod beyond immediate repair.

Novice. One other question : bamboo is so dense and
flinty that I should think it difficult successfully to mend
such a rod by splicing. Am I correct in this ?

Angler. Partly so. Tips may be repaired without
difficulty, and a break in the upper portion of the second
joint is not hopeless. But I have never been able to
make a splice stand in the lower half of isuch a rod, though
I have tried repeatedly. The splices must then be made
extra long, and well scored; and with this the user must
rest content until he can replace the broken joint by a
new one. His rod will then hang together and can be
fished with, but he will find its action so impaired that
its use will give little pleasure. Does any other question
occur to you ?

Novice. No, I think of nothing more.

Repairs. 807

Angles. Then let us replace that ring on your rod.
But I see you have lost the end ring from your tip aa
well.

Novice. Oh, never mind that ; I have another one.

Angler. We may just as well do both, and then at
some future time you will be able to aid or instruct some
brother angler in both of these particulars.

If we had some spare rings, or even some small copper
or brass wire, it would help matters ; but as neither of
these is at hand we must resort to pins for our material.
You see I insert the points of these pins in a stick, and
heat them red hot in this lamp, for a pin as it comes
from the manufacturer is too stiff for our purpose. Now
that the points are cool, I cut off the heads and insert
those ends in the stick, and repeat the process. Now
they are annealed, and we can proceed. I take a small
round stick — a match will do — and applying it to the
middle of the pin, bend the latter around
it, thus forming a loop. A

I now insert the loop in a crack in the Fig. 77— ii, body ©r
floor or in a cleft stick to serve as a vise K"iid'dinf"J»?n!

(since we have neither the latter nor a « *»^ <*» «ndB of
^ pi 111

pair of pincers), and twist the ends of the
pin around till they are at a right angle with their for-
mer position. We now have, in effect, a straight wire
provided with a loop at a right angle to

^ Cf its middle. I then file the two ends,

v\ 78 — ^ bod *^P *^^ bottom, tapering them grad-

of pin, Bhowiug ually away from the loop to a sharp

Bhari)ened ends; j.i ^ --.t '3

5, loop. edge at each extremity. I now wind

this on^ with waxed silk in its proper
place, and it is finished.
Novice. I am very much obliged ; but had I not been

ao8 Fly-rods cmd Fly-tacJde.

BO anxious to learn this, I should not have permitted you
to trouble yourself over so trifling a matter.

Angler. You must not think so. A rod should be
provided with plenty of rings, since they equalize and
distribute the strain over the whole length of the rod.
Thus while its aggregate may be great, it will at no one
place reach the breaking-point. And while I would not
recommend you to suspend fishing at a favorable mo-
ment, merely because a single ring became detached,
still you should replace it before the next day.

Now let us put a new end on your tip. I bend the
second pin around the match as before. I then thin
the ends in the same manner, omitting, you notice, to
twist the loop. I now bring the ends together, thus.

Kg. TO.

in the form of a tuning-fork, give a slightly wedge-shape
to the end of the tip, insert it in the fork of the tip end,
and wind it on with silk. It will not be amiss to give
the loop a bend towards the ring side of the tip, since
then the line will render better.

Novice. But I notice that in this case you did not
make your " invisible knot " in the way you showed me.
This seems much simpler.

Akglee. The principle is exactly the same. In the
case to which you allude it was tied in the middle of a
joint, and under such conditions it must be made in the
way shown you. But here there is no long piece extend-
ing beyond where the knot is to be, and we can take ad-
vantage of this circumstance. I will repeat the knot
for your benefit. Having wound as far as we wish, I

Bepairs. 800

make the loop, (7, holding the windiDgs already made
iirmly with my left thumb, exactly as before. Having
iirst cut off the silk so as to leave me about a foot of

Fig. 80.

end, Ay I place this end upon the windings, and hold it
there ; I then proceed to wind over it, A^ exactly as if
it were not there, and as though I were merely extend-
ing my winding ; and this to the extent of four turns or
so. If in so doing the silk has fouled the ring, 2>, I
clear it ; and you see I have the end. Ay projecting
towards the left and fastened by some turns of silk over
it, and a loop, C, on the right. Now when I pull on
the end. Ay the loop, (7, diminishes in size, until it dis-
appears altogether, and the fastening is complete. This
knot is the one with which the heads of flies are finished.

Novice. You seem so willing to give information
that I should like to ask you a few more questions.
This evening I could hardly get my rod apart, the fer-
rules stuck so tightly ; yet they went together easily
enough in the morning. Is there a remedy for this ?

Angleb. Yes, and a most simple one. If you will
tallow or oil your ferrules, and then wipe them dry be-
fore you joint your rod, you will never be troubled that
way ; and this should be repeated every third or fourth
day, if the rod is left together so long. But if you have
neglected this precaution, and the ferrules stick fast, do

810 Fly-rods and Fly-tackle.

not call a friend and go at the joints as though you
were wringing clothes ; but warm the obstinate ferrule
over a lamp chimney, and it will easily separate. You
must remember that the object is to expand the outer
before the heat reaches the inner ferrule ; and to do this
the heat must be applied but for a few seconds, turning
the ferrule constantly so that all parts may receive their
due proportion, and then try to separate it. If it re-
fuses, repeat the operation until it consents.

Heat, properly and continuously applied, is extremely
efficacious when opposed to obstinacy of any form — a
principle well known even prior to the Middle Ages,
though its highest development was then reached. If,
however, the angler seizes one joint and his friend the
other, a sudden and powerful jerk will often separate
ferrules, which have obstinately resisted both torsion and
a steady pull.

Novice. Here is a fly, the only one of the kind I
have. The trout seemed to have a decided preference
for this to-day, but the gut is so frayed I fear to use
it to-morrow. Can it be repaired ?

Angler. Yes ; it will not look very well, but it may
be used. Let me see the fly. Have you a spare piece
of gut, or if not, a spare leader, from which we can cut
a foot or so ?

Novice. Here is a leader.

Angler. First we will soak it in tepid water till it is
soft ; then saving the looped end intact, we tie a hard
knot in the other end to prevent its slipping ; then we
wrap it above the knot with well waxed silk on to the
upper side of the hook, just below the body, and over
the tail ; then part the wings with a pin, and lay the
gut in the division and upon the upper side of the body.

Repaira. 811

and fasten it again with silk over the wing fastening.
Now we catch the hook in or around anything that will
hold, take a good pull on the gut to be sure it will stand,
and it is complete.

NoviCB. Are there any other accidents likely to hap-
pen to the angler which you have not mentioned, and
which admit of repair ?

Angler. We have certainly covered almost all — and
I can think of no others. You see the "invisible knot"
lies at the foundation of all these repairs, so be sure to
perfect yourself in it.

It sometimes occurs that an angler buys a new rod,
or a new reel, and finds the one will not fit the other;
but he can tie the reel to his rod with a string, or better
still a leather thong, and it will work just as well.

It may happen that he frays his line on a sharp stone
or otherwise, so that he thinks it no longer safe. In this
case, if unprovided with a spare line, he may cut out
the doubtful part, melt his wax, or at least make it quite
soft so that it will penetrate well into the line, coat
about an inch of each end well with the wax, lap and
squeeze, and sew them together with a fine needle, and
then wrap tightly with well waxed silk, and thus remedy
the defect. If it is an enamelled waterproof line, the
ends may be scarfed a little with the file to roughen
them, and give the wax a better hold. This splice, if
neatly made, will render through the rings very well, but
a test strain of at least six pounds should be applied be-
fore using it ; for if it will not hold it is better to know
it, and repeat the operation.

He may forget or lose his landing-net. In stream-
fishing he can then land his fish on the bank, if it is
sloping, or if not, slide his hand down the leader and

813 Fly-rods and Fhf4acJde.

grasp the fish by the gills. In either case he should
play his fish until quite exhausted. Then throwing his
rod behind him and over his shoulder, grasp the leader
with his left hand, carry the part seized to his right
hand which holds the rod, there take it between his
thumb and finger, holding it so he can at once let go if
the fish shows signs of activity, and repeat this until the
fish is quite close. But during this delicate operation
there must not be the slightest approximation to a jerk ;
everything must proceed quietly and by an even, steady
motion. He can then slide his hand down the leader
and grasp the trout, in which he will be much aided by
a thread-glove with the fingers cut off ; or he can lead
the fish towards the bank, and by a sudden but steady
increase of force throw him out.

Any effort to lift or throw the trout out by the rod will
probably be followed by disaster. Not that the rod will
break, but the weight of the fish in air so exceeds that
in water, that the impulse given will carry it but a short
distance on the shore; and when it strikes the ground it
unhooks itself with the first flop, while the angler per-
forms like a cat on a stove in the vain endeavor to kick
it higher up on the bank. I have seen, nay, I have my-
self, lost many good fish in this way.

If he is to fish from a boat, and no landing-net can be
borrowed, let him make a gaff out of a piece of telegraph
or other stiff wire, or tie three or four hooks, the largest
that can be had, on a stick, and use that for the same
purpose.

Occasionally the screws of a reel show a tendency to
work loose, caused by the jar of the click and indifferent
fitting. The remedy is simple : withdraw the screw, and
insert a waxed thread to the bottom of its hole ; enter

Repairs. 813

the screw beside the thread, and about three-quarters
of its length ; then cut off the projecting end close, and
turn the screw down to its head.

Broken rods, when the break is in the upper half, may
be temporarily repaired much more speedily than by
the method I showed you, though not so well. All
that is necessary is a piece of twine and a rubber band
or two— those about half an inch wide are best — and as
long as possible. Cut the rubber band so as to form a
strap, lap one part of the break over the other without
any trimming, wrap the rubber band around the lap,
stretching the rubber well when so doing, and tie its
end down with the twine so that it cannot unwind.
The lap should be covered with at least a double layer
of well-stretched rubber, using one or more bands as
may be required.

Breaks in the upper half of a tip may be very nicely
repaired with a quill. The quill is to be soaked in
water, preferably warm, until quite soft. It is then to
be split lengthwise on one side, flattened out, and one
edge trimmed until it just fits when wrapped over the
break. When so fitted the quill is to be wrapped over
the break and tightly wound with silk its whole length.
Then it is allowed to dry thoroughly so as to regain its
pristine stiffness, and well varnished.

There, I think t have covered all the reparable con-
tingencies.

There is, however, one other suggestion which I should
like to submit for your consideration — a matter more
important, in my judgment, than all I have so far said
to you, since, while they are matters of convenience, this
should be a matter of principle.

Never permit a desire to catch more or larger fish

314 Fly-rods and Fh/tacJde.

than a comrade influence your angling conduct, except
it be to put forth your very best skill. This everlasting
trying to beat some one is the bane of angling. I have
never, in a somewhat extended fishing experience, seen
the spirit of competition step in, but that at the same
time all that was generous — all that was best in the
sport of angling — stepped out.

And should you be more successful than others, never
show the slightest sign of triumph, but give your suc-
cess the benefit of the doubt, and, at least to them, at-
tribute it to luck. Though skill is a most potent factor
in fly-fishing, luck pure and simple has still a place
therein.

Some years ago a number of experienced anglers
hammered away by the hour over some large fish at
Rangely-Outlet, with never a rise. A lad about sixteen,
who had never cast a fly before that day, came along
with his guide and began to perform after the manner
of the beginner. Discouraged, at length, he turned to
speak to his guide, allowing his fly to sink idly through
the water, looked back just in time to see it taken by a
trout, struck, fastened it, and with the aid of his guide
landed a good eight-pounder. I have heard fickle Dame
Fortune railed at before and since, but never with more
fervor than during that evening.

On the other hand, be not too severe upon yourself
should one you think your inferior in skill meet with
better success. A mediocre angler familiar with the
water will not infrequently, for a time, take more fish
than a really skilled stranger.

Novice. One last question I would like to ask. Can
you suggest a method to repair an angler's morals after
he has lost a large fish ?

Repairs. 816

Angler. That is indeed a heavy blow ; and so long as
human nature is weak, I fear that under such affliction
the original sin, which is the heritage of all, will come
to the surface. It is a misfortune not only of the mo-
ment, but in the future as well.

In September of 1880 I stood on the boom which re-
strains the drift-trash from clogging the sluiceways of
the lumber dam located on the Magalloway River, about
a mile below Parmacheene Lake, in Maine. The dam
had been used that spring for the first time. It was built
to aid in sluicing the logs cut in the surrounding wilder-
ness down the river to civilization, and was, except for a
couple of weeks or so in the spring, idle and apparently
uncared for. The deep black water shoaled as it ap-
proached the dam, quickened its pace, bent downward
like oil, and then, breaking into foam, rushed forty feet
through the sluices, and thundered into the pool below.

I stood upon the logs forming the boom, and cast a
large single fly — the queen of those waters, the "Parma-
cheene Belle" — to where, about thirty-six feet distant, the
current just began to gather its strength. As I now rec-
ollect, some four or five fair trout had rewarded my ef-
forts, running from two up to three and a half pounds.
At last up rolled the very Monarch of the River. His '
swirl was like the eddy made by an eighteen-foot oar.
He was a monster. An exclamation from my guide, a
bound of my heart that sent the blood like fire to every
extremity of my body, greeted the rise. I struck 8haq)ly
of course, but he never touched the fly, and it came back
empty handed. With sinking hearts, for we knew from
experience that such fish seldom rise the second time, we
changed the fly to another as different in color as possible,
and tried again. For two hours or more we rested and

816 Fly-rods and Fly-tachU.

fished the water in alternate five-minute intervals, chang*
ing and rechanging the fly, bat though we took others
which would elsewhere be accounted large fish, yet he,
upon whom we had set our hearts, was proof against
temptation.

I have caught as large, perhaps larger, trout since, but
never in such a location. And to this day, and as long as
I live and cast a fly, the loss of that fish will be a sore
spot in my memory. Even now while I write, for the
thousandth time the scene in every detail is present be-
fore me, and I wonder could I have played him his half
hour in the water above, or would he, despite my every
effort, have shot through the sluice into the pool below
the dam, and what could I then have done to save him ?

I have asked — I will ask — this question whenever mem-
ory recalls the picture, but its solution, alas! I shall never
know*

Oh, delusive phantom of hope ! How wretched would
the lot of us poor mortals be were it not for you !

Men who fancy they could remodel the scheme of
this terrestrial globe, in whole or in part, to its im-
provement, are perhaps as common as other species of
" cranks." But the most ignorant, or, what amounts to
the same tning, the most cranky, would hardly claim
that even he could better that most beneficent factor in
the happiness of mankind, which so distorts our mental
view of the past that with lapse of time its disappoint-
ments and discomforts fade from memory, while the
recollection of its pleasures becomes purer and brighter
with the passing years. It is not the real thing we
anglers see — ^that mixture of pain and pleasure of which
almost every incident of man's life on this earth is com-
posed — when^ even in the privacy of our own inner con-

Repmrs, 817

sciousness, we recall our angling ventures of the past.
It is a glorified picture, ripened, like a generous wine,
by the sweet influence of time.

We may have broiled under a sun of tropical fervor
or shivered in an April snow-storm ; we may have been
weary and footsore almost to the limit of endurance ;
suffered from hunger and thirst ; been devoured by flies
^nd mosquitoes ; have slipped from rock or log and had
the icy waters close over our noses to the ruin of fly-
book and watch. We may have been mulcted by the
farmers of the vicinity for the privilege of fishing when
morally certain that the demand was a swindfe ; we
may have even broken our favorite rod on a fingerling ;
yet, after the lapse of a year or so, all these annoyances
are as if they had never been, while the memory of just
how and when every good fish was taken is as fresh
as though of yesterday.

818 Fly-rode and Fly-tackle.

CHAPTER IX.

CASTING THB FLY.

EvBBT book on angling contains directions for acquir-
ing this art, almost universally prefaced by the statement
that little can be learned from them. Without calling in
question the advantage of practical instruction by an ex-
pert, still it is believed no little progress can be made in
its absence.

Assuming the possession of the required implements,
the next essential in learning to cast without a master is
companionship. Thus one can rest and encourage the
other, and each observe and coach his friend during his
innings at the rod. In nothing does the old adage, "the
outsider sees most of the game," more directly apply.
Unconscious faults are instantly noted by " the coach "
and brought to the attention of the caster, as well as the
greater or less degree of success which may attend effort
to correct these. The innings should not exceed five
minutes each, for they should be made a pleasure and
not a toil. No very appreciable fatigue should be in-
curred, since tired muscles respond imperfectly to the
will.

Access to water is quite unnecessary — I question
whether it is- even desirable. In the city, the house-roof
may be the practice-ground ; in the country, any grass-
plot or a snow-field. Mark your stand, and measure from
it about twenty-five or thirty feet. There place a folded

Casting the FVy. 819

newspaper, retaining it in position by stones or similar
weights placed on the corners. Let this, your target, be
about eighteen to twenty-four inches square, and of sev-
eral thicknesses, that a hit may at once be distinguished
from a miss by the rustle of the line on the paper. Use
a cheap linen line for practice, E in size, and without
leader or flies. A braided line is to be preferred. This
will perfectly serve the purpose, and save whipping out
the more expensive water-proof line you will employ in
actual fishing.

To acquire a proper back cast — ^throwing the line be-
hind preparatory to the forward cast — usually gives the
beginner the most trouble. He cannot see behind him,
and though he fully appreciates that his forward cast is
a botch, he cannot locate the diflSculty, and knows neither
to what this is due nor how it is to be overcome. Here
the eyes of his friend supplement those of the caster.
Each effort to improve is appraised; the successful is dis-
tinguished from the unsuccessful attempt — the one con-
demned, the other approved — until in a very short time
and with very little trouble a habit of casting is formed
which is not only efficient, but at the same time easy and
graceful.

Therefore I say again, and I say with the more em-
phasis because I believe I stand alone in this recommen-
dation, practise this art with a companion, and alternate-
ly at brief intervals let each coach the other. Let the
coach make some comment on every cast made, as, for ex-
ample, " Your back cast was too low," " Your line did
not straighten out behind," " Your forward cast was too
quick," "Keep your body still," "Keep your elbow to
your side," " There, that back cast was all right — try to
repeat it," etc., etc., remembering to approve the good

820 Fly^ods and Fly-tcbclde.

as well as condemn the bad ; for the very object in view
is to inform the caster what to cultivate as well as what
to avoid.

I confidently believe that two persons of ordinary clev-
erness each thus aiding the other, can, in two weeks' time,
with say one hour's daily practice, learn to cast a very
fair fly and in an easy and graceful manner. If a really
experienced instructor can be had, all the better; but the
supervision of a self-taught caster of limited experience,
who insists on being guided solely by that experience, is
to be avoided.

The coach taking his stand abreast of and on the right
of the caster, and at such a distance as conveniently to
observe every motion, lot the latter withdraw from the
reel line equal in length to about one and a half times
the length of his rod. The thumb of the casting hand
must not be closed up on its fingers, but be extended and
bear upon the rod itself. Now throw the tip of the rod
upward and behind a little, but only a little, beyond the
perpendicular.

The illustration on the preceding page (Fig. 81), from
a photograph from life, shows the extreme limit of this
movement, a limit by no means to be exceeded, while it
may well be somewhat abridged.

In actual fishing the casting elbow is always and in-
variably to be held quite close to the side, and the fore-
arm should not be raised beyond an angle of forty-five
degrees with the horizon. The wrist, however, is to take
a further bend upward and as far as possible, for from
the action of this joint should the impulse of the cast be
almost exclusively derived.

I am aware that I am at variance with the precepts of
many writers, as well as with the practice of many excel-

Pig. 81.

Casting the Fly.

d23

lent anglers, in the direction that the elbow be invariably
close to the side. Some cast at arm's-length, and largely
with the shoulder-joint. This is a thoroughly bad meth-
od, fatiguing, inefScient, and rivalling in grace a duck on
land. Others cast with the elbow to or near the body,
but just before the flies light extend the arm to its full

Fig. 88.

length, as though they were about to impale something
on the point of the rod. This method is used by many
anglers, whom I freely acknowledge to be my superiors.
Notwithstanding, I am convinced that it serves no useful
purpose (except in casting for distance only) not other-
wise readily attainable, while it certainly looks labored

324

Fly-rods and Fly-tacJde.

and awkward. The one method resembles the postures
of a trained athlete, no portion or member of his body in
motion except those in actual use; the others approxi-
mate in greater or less degree to the contortions of the
greenhorn, every limb pawing the air.

Though the elbow partakes slightly at the beginning
of both the cast and recover, still it is the wrist that is
really the motive power in casting. The novice cannot
too early and too firmly impress this on his mind.

Fig. 83.

The illustrations on this and preceding page are taken
from photographs from life. Fig. 82 represents the posi-
tion of the wrist ^v^hen on the back cast; Fig. 83 the wrist
on the forward cast. Note the position of the thumb.

The position should be an easy one, and the body and
the unemployed arm should be kept perfectly still. No

Casting the Fly. 826

habit is worse in casting than unnecessary contortions of
the one, or flourishes of the other. Not only is it exceed-
ingly awkward, but it is injurious as well, since it is
motion rather than the mere sight of an object which
demoralizes the fish.

The coach will pay particular attention to the back
cast, for if this is mastered all else follows. It is the
secret of success. In practice, the end of the line, when
behind him, should in no case fall below the level of the
caster's head; everything below that should be regarded
as a fault. There is nothing in fly-fishing which so
promptly grades an angler as a high back cast, when
circumstances permit its use, while nothing will more
prejudice reputation for skill than the habit, even when
sitting in a boat, of allowing the flies to touch the water
behind the caster. The expert knows how few possess
the former accomplishment, and that to him who has it
the highest development of the art is possible; while he
equally recognizes that the latter is a vicious habit, dif-
ficult to overcome, and a perfect bar to real excellence.

Therefore cultivate a high back cast with the utmost
assiduity. It is not difficult to acquire at the beginning,
though this is no longer the case when another and dif-
ferent habit has been formed.

The secret of this is to throw the rod but little, if any,
beyond the perpendicular on the back cast. The first
• view in this chapter illustrates the extreme limit. While
the butt joint is nearly upright, the upper portion of the
rod will bend backward still more. Rods of varying
flexibility vary somewhat in this respect. The stiffer
may be thrown a little farther back, and still, since they
bend less, give the line the required upward direction. I
trust I have emphasized the importance of this sufficient-

826 Fly-rods and Fly4a€kle.

ly, as well as made clear the method by which it may be
attained.

The coach must next see to it that the caster by no
means begins the forward impulse, until the line has ex-
tended behind to the limit of its length.

Ignore the front cast altogether in the first lessons,
considering it merely as a necessary preparation for the
back cast, and as otherwise of no consequence whatever.
Concentrate the attention on these two features of the
back cast altogether (except, of course, to insist that the
body and unemployed arm are motionless, and that the
impulse proceeds from the wrist). Hang to these two
points as if they were all there was to fly-casting, for
really this assumption will be but little wide of the
truth.

Having given the backward impulse to the line, it
will be found that an interval must intervene between
this and the forward impulse, during which the line is
occupied in straightening itself out. This pause is ab-
solutely essential, and an undue abridgment of its du-
ration is the most common of all faults. It varies, of
course, with the length of line used; and since the caster
cannot see behind him, that he may know when the exact
moment for the forward impulse has arrived, he must use
the eyes of another, or experiment in the dark.

A sensitive hand can feel a drag on the tip when the
line has extended properly on the back cast, and thus .
tell when to begin the forward movement, no matter
what length of line may be in use. The beginner should
be alert to perceive this, for, if he can, it will materially
expedite his progress.

The coach will therefore watch the line, and when it
has thus extended its full length give the word "Now!"

Casting the Fly. 827

Thereupon let the caster at once give the forward im-
pulse. It will require a little practice on the part of the
former to give the word at the proper moment, and on
the part of the latter promptly to respond, but this will
be soon overcome.

By a rigid adherence to this method of coaching and
practice, a high back cast, and the allowance of the
proper interval for the line to straighten out, will soon
become purely automatic — a mere matter of instinct ad-
justing itself to whatever length of line may be in use,
without a thought or an effort on the part of the caster.

When this is accomplished, and stick to it until it isy
the game is in your own hands, for everything else fol-
lows almost of itself.

Now some attention may be profitably given to the
forward cast. That the line shall fall gently upon it, the
end reaching the level of the mark first, are the desid-
erata. To accomplish this, throw the rod forward, re-
membering to derive the impulse from the wrist, until
it assumes the position shown by Fig. 84 on the follow-
ing page.

Cast not at the mark, but as though an object three or
four feet above it were the bull's-eye. Then when the line
has unfolded almost its entire length, raise the point of
the rod a couple of feet or so. This will turn the line
point foremost, and cause the end to alight first. If the
force of the impulse is justly proportioned to the dis-
tance to be covered, the line will fall by its own gravity
alone upon the paper ; but if too much power has been
applied, it will strike hard, or recoil and fall short of the
mark. That cast is the most perfect in which the mini-
mum of force is employed, and the beginner must make
constant effort to see with how little exertion he can

828 Fly-Tods amd Fhf4ac1de.

accomplisli the result. He will find that very little
power is required even for quite a long line — say fifty-
five feet — and that the line falls most lightly and straight-
est in those casts where the power is justly proportioned,
and not in excess of the work to be done. But if care-
ful, patient, and persevering, this too will soon become
purely automatic, adjusting itself to circumstances with-
out conscious muscular or mental effort.

But remember the back cast is the foundation, and
that unless it is solid the superstructure will be rick-
ety. Remember also that the motion of the rod through
the air should be almost, or quite noiseless. Nothing of-
fends the angler's ear more than the " swish " of a fly-
rod. It is like a false note to an educated musical ear.
It indicates a degree of force about as appropriate to
the end in view, as a burglar^s jimmy to opening a watch.
This should never be, except possibly when casting di-
rectly against the wind or for distance only.

After about a week's daily practice has given consid-
erable skill to the right hand, and the habit of a high
back fly and the pause is pretty well formed, begin to
educate the left hand as well, and after that practice
both alternately. To be able to use either hand indiffer-
ently is a great accomplishment. Whatever is worth
doing, is worth doing well. Begin and continue your
practice with the fixed intention to become second to
none in skill, and educate the left hand, with the right,
as one of the steps in that direction.

Experience by this time will have taught that the line
must be so thrown behind on the back cast, as neither to
strike the caster nor the rod in its flight.

When the overhead cast is mastered, and you can get
out fifty -five to sixty feet of line fair, straight, an4

Fig. 84.

881

-^ttt

_ "»n of force, and

pause, then you

l^ractise casting

three lessons, and

I he rod horizontally

< s govern success in

But first thoroughly

modifications will then

( he most decided manner

>i, for this is the sure way

! uke care of itself. By no

K until thirty can be cast

uhl t hat in good, cleanly fash-

aftur you have attained the

t i it, at that distance. At the

1 i>u)>le of innings or so at forty-

, thus m^tking your distance prac-

r;ite an^l distinct thing. Hang to

ym master it completely and with

iH ij, an<l nut lill then, add two or three

i\ Fnx'ceil in this way adding but two

rnoBt at eaeh increase, and sticking to

master it eomj^letely before attempting

tcr furly-Five leut you should devote at

|to the next ailditiotial three feet, without a

anything l>t yontl. Fifty feet is about the

Ishing distance urdiiiarily employed; but by

rence to ibese nilts you will easily acquire

^cf seventy feel, imivided you master the high

and the pau(?c. Otherwise you will never be

o fifty -five feet tteeenily,

niher that to east sixty feet is not to boggle at

382 Fly-rods wnd Fly-taclde.

fifty or fifty-five, with a line full of loops and projected
with the force of a catapult, and then, by good-luck
rather than good management, at last attain even seven-
ty-five feet. This is mere botchwork, and nothing will
more surely arrest progress than such misdirected efforts.
He only can properly be said to be able to cast sixty feet
who can lay out a fair, straight, and light line to that
distance, not once, but time and time again in succession.
And let me assure you that very few proficient anglers
can do this. Not that they could not readily attain this
and more with practice, but simply because all the cast-
ing they do is done in actual fishing ; and those who
really understand themselves then proportion their means
to their ends. Nevertheless, though to be able to cast a
long line will, perhaps, make very little difference in the
number and size of the fish taken at the end of a season,
it certainly adds a very elegant finish to the angler's ac-
quirements, just as a fine steeple adds to the beauty of
a church. Having mastered thoroughly forty feet, so
that the rod and line work with the precision of a ma-
chine, then comes the strike.

In swift water the fish generally hook themselves, but
not so in still water. Here the strike must follow the
rise, as its shadow follows a cloud. This too may be ac-
quired without approaching the water, and must be prac-
tised until purely automatic. To acquire this the caster
must cast, draw his line towards him, trailing it on the
ground, and at the word " Strike !" from the coach, re-
trieve the line at once. The coach should use care to
give the word at irregular times, so that the caster may
not anticipate him. When considerable skill and prompt-
ness in response has been acquired, the coach should
abandon giving the word, and signal the proper moment

Casting the Fly. 888

by dropping a pebble on the paper, standing close to it
for this purpose. The instant the pebble falls, the strike
should follow. Strike lightly if you can, but at all events
strike quickly. Many of the angling books direct that
the strike be made from the reel ; that is, with the line
perfectly free to render except for such resistance as the
click of the reel may impose. Thus if, in his anxiety to
strike quickly, the angler strikes too hard, the surplus
force, in theory at least, is expended in drawing line
from the reel, instead of being transmitted to the
leader or flies to the peril of their hold upon the fish.
This theory, like many others, is not independent of
circumstances. When a very fine leader is in use, to-
gether with flies so small that the least effort will bury
them over the barb, this is without doubt the proper
practice. But it is obvious that where the hooks are
larger, the water free from current, and a long line is
in use, there is more work to be done in striking than
with small flies and on quick water where the current
buoys up the line. The object is to transmit the strike
to the taken fly with the least possible delay. There-
fore a degree of force which would be more than ample
in the one case may be quite inadequate in the other.

For small fish or small flies a mere turn of the wrist is
the proper and artistic thing, but for large ones this
method is a delusion. Then you must "sock it to them,"
with the line firmly held under the first finger of the
casting hand, as shown in Fig. 85. Indeed, after the
beginner has gained some command of his nerves, so
that while striking quickly he can graduate his energy
to the size of his flies, the length of line he has on the
water, and the magnitude of the fish, I am not sure that
this is not the best method at all times. It will be na

1384 Fhf-rods and Fhf'tacJde.

ticed that without relaxing the grip of the rod the line
may be firmly nipped or allowed to render freely from
the reel by simply closing or slightly raising the first
finger. Then if it is desired to fish over more crater
than would be possible if the rod alone was relied on to
move the fly, the rod may be gradually raised to the
most advantageous angle for the strike and kept in that
position, while the movement of the fly is continued by
drawing in the line with the free hand, raising the fin-
ger while the line is drawn in, and closing the fin^^er
down on the line and rod handle when the free hand
has drawn in all the line it can and must reach up for a
fresh hold. Thus the fly can be well fished over all the
water between the caster and the extreme limit he is
able to cast. This method is very advantageous in fish-
ing still water, or, indeed, all water where a rise may
happen at any part of the path the fly so handled may
traverse. Personally I employ this method constantly
in my own fishing, using the reel comparatively little.
If I fasten a fish, I let the line run out between the
thumb and first finger of the free hand — ^the hand that
is not holding the rod — pressing the line more or less
according to the resistance it seems advisable to impose
upon the fish. When fishing from a canoe or boat I
allow the line to drop upon the bottom of the canoe at
my feet as I draw it in, being careful, however, not to
step on it. If wading, the loop of the line falls in the
water and runs down with the current. If fishing from
the bank the length of the loop is so limited that it
shall not reach the ground, lest it either catch on some-
thing, or sand adhere to the wet line and so be drawn
into the reel when the line is ultimately wound up on it.
This method has a further advantage. The cardinal

Casti/ng the Fly. 8B5

principle in playing a fish is to get it away from the
place where it was fastened and to the surface of the
water, where one can watch its pranks, as soon as possi-
ble. The reasons for this are threefold and obvious.
Trout love cover, and the place where they harbor is apt
to be snaggy. To foul a snag when a decent-sized fish
is on is to abandon hope in nine cases out of ten. Again,
where one fish is hooked others are apt to be, and further
sport may be reasonably looked for provided suspicion
is not aroused by the gyrations of the fish already fast-
ened. Furthermore, hidden dangers are those most to
be dreaded, since while we may by skill and good judg-
ment avoid those we can see, we must trust to blind
luck to escape those we cannot see. Now any trout, I
care not what its size may be, can be dragged quite a
distance from the place where it was hooked with no
more resistance than if it were inert, provided the angler
begins to drag on it the instant it is fastened. It seems
as if they did not realize for the moment what had hap-
pened to them. The secret is to get a move on them
at once and to keep them moving. The ordinary reel
is not quick enough, and the automatic reel is too weak
to do this. But by the method just described I have
done it time and time again, with never a failure, in
water so obstructed that no other course afforded rea-
sonable prospect of ultimate success.

But to return to the strike. Promptness to respond
to a rise without a suspicion of hesitancy is practically
the important point. I have fovmd it far more difiicult
to induce the many beginners it has been my privilege
to instruct to strike promptly than to cast a very de-
cent fly. One and all, especially ladies, seem to act as
though they simply could not strike until the fish was

886 Fly-rods and Fly-tacHe.

felt. Then, of course, barring accidents, it is too late.
If the beginner, when he sees the eommotioa of a fish
near the fly, will only try to snatch it away so quickly
that the fish cannot reach it, he will do just what he
ought to do and just what the experienced angler does.

In the spring of 1883, fishing was good where I was
so fortunate as to be. And as is my custom, the locality
permitting, we made a little pond in which to imprison
and watch the fish taken. Again and again we filled the
pond with trout, and after a brief confinement returned
them to the water and liberty. At last a spring pond at
no great distance abounding in minnows yet destitate
of trout occurred to our minds, and we determined to
stock it. Water transportation was available for the
greater part of the distance, but the last two or three
hundred yards was land carriage. Across this my guide
John carried the fish in a tin milk-pail, his hat floating
on the surface of the water therein contained, lest in
their struggles they should flop out to their injury, for
they were all good-sized fish and very lively.

Upon reaching the border of their new home the fish
were completely exhausted by their struggles, and when
placed in the water were quite content to breathe and
rest, without an effort to move away. During the hour
or more occupied in this portage — for the pail would not
hold more than three or four at a time — I stood and
watched these fish lying at my feet in not more than a
foot of crystal water. Occasionally as they breathed a
dead leaf would drift into the mouth of some one of
them. For a brief second it would remain before its
presence seemed to be realized ; then it was shot out
with a velocity sufficient to project it several inches
through the water. I say shot out, and that phrase ex-

Casting the Fly. 337

actly describes the suddenness of the operation. I then
thought that thus does the trout reject the artificial fly
when the deception is discovered, and realized how very,
very brief was the interval in which advantage might
be taken of a rise.

I have here laid out what I take to be about two
months' to two and a half months' work. Certainly it
can be compassed in a single close season. Access to.
water, I believe, will prove rather a drawback than an
advantage, tending to distract the attention from the main
object in view, the formation of a correct habit.

At the expiration of that period, I believe that two
persons of average adaptability, each aiding the other,
can with patience and perseverance, and by strictly fol-
lowing the directions contained in this chapter, become
proficient in casting the fly to a degree not by any means
common even among experienced anglers. True, this is
not all of fly-fishing ; but then the attention is thereafter
free to devote itself to those lessons learned only from
Nature's book, face to face with Nature herself. Then
what the mind directs, that the muscles can execute, and
thus the experience of years can be compressed into a
comparatively brief period.

He who is complete master of his scales and intervals
will have little trouble to learn to play a set piece ; and
so in this case the scales and intervals have been mas-
tered, the hours of toil are over, and their reward is at
hand.

The violin player sees a note on the written page. He
does not stop to think ^Hhat is D, and must be played
with the fourth finger in the third position." It is be-
fore him, and without a thought of what the note is or
where it lies, his hand flies to the accustomed place, he
83

338 Fly-rods and Fly-tacJde.

cannot tell you how. There is practically a sort of mem-
ory of the muscles, sometimes called force of habit, and
it is this that the fly-caster most sooner or later acquire
if he would reach even mediocrity.

It is as easy to acquire a good habit as a bad, and far
more profitable. To aid the beginner in this is the object
of this chapter. It cannot more fitly close than by re-
iterating once more, remember the secret of success lies in
the back cast.

This chapter was ready for the printer when that day
looked forward to with such impatience for the preced-
ing ten months, the day when I was to depart for my
annual six weeks in the Maine woods, arrived. Had any
man told me the year before, when with a half- sup-
pressed groan I disjointed my rod on the evening of the
last day of the open season, that X should never wet line
again unless beyond the river of life, I should have as-
sented to its possibility. But had he said that before
another season I should write a book on fly-fishing — a
subject involving so much, and of which, compared with
its extent, I know so little — I should have thought he
was mad. Who can resist to the end the flattery and
the solicitations of the friends he loves ?

Many anglers of all grades in the art, from the lady
beginner on the outskirts of the wilderness, to the fin-
ished expert within its inmost recesses, have passed
under my observation, I know not without profit to me
— I hope not without advantage to the beginner to whom
I have addressed myself.

Casting is by no means all of fly-fishing. It is an art,
and one not easy to acquire in perfection ; but the
greater part of the difficulty usually experienced is due

CdsUng the Fly. 889

to a faulty beginning, and to vicious and pertinacious
habits thus unconsciously formed.

I believe with even greater confidence than when it
was written, that the system set forth in this chapter
will, if followed with patience and perseverance, surely
accomplish the desired result. ' As some acquire manual
skill more readily than others, so will the degree of
patience and practice required to attain this end vary
with different individuals. But I sincerely believe that
his or her clumsiness must be indeed phenomenal, who
cannot, without a sight of water other than that in some
domestic utensil, acquire the art of casting the fly with
more than the average degree of skill in a single close
season. Remember the secrets of its success lie in the
friendly aid of a coach willing to be guided by its pre-
cepts, and in the back cast.

Some act and talk as though casting were the entire
art of fly-fishing, and grade an angler solely by the dis-
tance he can cover with his flies. This is a great mis-
take and pernicious in its influence. Casting is but a
method of placing the fly before the trout without alarm-
ing it, and within its reach. It is merely placing food be-
fore a guest. The selection of such food as will suit, and
so serving it as to please a fastidious and fickle taste, still
remain indispensably necessary to induce its acceptance.

Further than I have done in this book, and I am well
aware how inadequate it is, I cannot advise what flies
will please. The most experienced are often at their
wits' ends in this respect, and if they find any solution at
all to the problem in hand, find it where they least ex-
pect, and when, after having exhausted every resource
of their skill, they leave the selection to chance rather
than judgment.

340 Fly-rods wnd Fly4acJde.

But the manipulation of the fly after it has touched
the water is quite another matter. Without undue vio-
lation of the proprieties it may be considered a part of
the cast, and it is proposed so to treat it.

Nothing during the past season has more impreased
me than the fact, if fact it be, that in no single point in
fly-fishing was error more common than in this. Not so
much where a strong current lends instant aid to the
angler is this apparent ; as in the fishing of pools and
of still-water— the very places where the best fish are
usually to be found. Nor is it a fault of the beginner,
but rather of those whose proficiency is otherwise con-
siderable.

To such, if any, who with limited practical experience
may become facile casters by following the precepts of
this chapter, a careful consideration of the following
problem is recommended, for they stand in a position of
special danger. The problem is :

1st. To place the fly within reach of the trout without
alarming it.

2d. So to handle it as to simulate a living creature,
and one tempting to its appetite.

dd. To do this in such a manner that if the fly is
touched, the trout shall infallibly be fastened.

It is neither to the first nor to the second of these
points that I would call attention. But the third is well
worthy the study of every angler, old or new.

Confining our attention to pool and still-water angling,
it is rare that a trout, unless gaunt with famine, takes a
fly the moment it touches the water, and then only when
the stratum which intervenes between it and the fly is
shallow. Taking any season through, and I am inclined
to think that at least ninety-nine out of every hundn d

Casting the Fly. 841

trout captured in such water, will be found to have taken
the fly after it has been moved from the place where it
first fell. It is also true that in such water some demon-
stration on the part of the angler is usually necessary to
fasten the hook after the fly has been taken, or it will
be rejected and the opportunity lost ; also that the in-
terval during which this may successfully be done is
brief.

Now it is mathematically certain that when the rod is
at a right angle with the line, a given movement of the
tip of the rod will transmit its impulse with the greatest
rapidity, and with the maximum of effect, through the
line, since then there is the least possible lost motion.
It is also certain that when the rod and line form one
straight line, a very considerable upward movement of
the tip is followed by but slight retraction of the line ;
there is then much lost motion, and consequently the
impulse is tardily conveyed to the hook.

It is equally indisputable that when the rod is so
raised that the line is parallel with it, or nearly so, all
command over the former is gone ; the rod has already
shortened the line all it possibly can, and the power to
strike is lost.

The problem is a most simple one.

Let us suppose the tip of the rod to be pointing at an
object exactly forty feet distant from it. Now suppose
the tip to be raised three feet, the end describing in so
doing the arc of a circle of which the hand is the centre,
as in actual fishing. Clearly, now, that end is more dis-
tant from the assumed point than before, and more line
would be required to reach it ; or, in other words, the
line, if it did not break, must either stretch or move that
difference. Thus a theoretical measure of the efficiency

342 Fly^oda a/nd Fly-tackle.

of the ^' strike '' at any angle of the rod may be obtained.
Construction of the proper diagrams will sdso show that
the strike becomes less and less efficient as the length
of the line increases, and also as the hand actuating the
rod approaches the level of the water.

I have said a theoretical measurey and advisedly, since
we have been treating the fly-rod as though it were as
stiff as a telegraph-pole. Clearly we must take its flex-
ibility into account, since before the movement of the tip
can overcome the inertia of the line and the friction of
the water upon it, the rod must bend until the tension
of its elasticity is in excess of that inertia and friction
combined. Thus we see that another deduction must be
made from the efficiency of the strike, one rapidly increas-
ing in amount as the length of line, and its consequent in-
ertia and friction from contact with the water, increases.

Based upon these considerations was the suggestion
heretofore made, that a cast of five and a half times
the length of the rod approximated closely to the ex-
treme efficient limit in practical fly-fishing — assuming
the caster to be wading knee-deep or sitting in a fairly
high-sided boat. A quick eye and a prompt hand, trained
by long practice, may extend this distance somewhat, but
I believe not much. The stiffness of the rod used is also
a variable factor effecting the result. I therefore per-
sonally prefer a rod as stiff as is consistent with pleasur-
able casting. Furthermore, it was with these consider-
ations in view that I have, in the Chapter on Rod-mak-
ing, sought to give all emphasis to the direction, so to
proportion the lower part of the rod as to give absolute
command over the tip.

If our mathematics are correct, the following practical
conclusions would seem necessarily to follow:

Casting the Fly. 848

Ist. Invariably use as short a line as circumstances will
permit.

2d. If it has not been done in the cast itself, at once
elevate the tip of the rod until it forms an angle with the
line, and let that angle be as near a right angle as the
length of line in use and the reserved movement of the
rod required to manipulate and retrieve the flies will
permit.

dd. By no means draw the flies so far towards you as
seriously to impair, much less altogether to lose, the
power to strike. In either case you will almost certainly
lose your fish, and in the latter your rod will probably
be shattered.

The fault, or I should say faults, for there are two in
number, notice of the prevalence of which impelled me
to add to this chapter, are,

1st. A tendency to use an altogether unnecessary length
of line ; or, in other words, to shirk good water within
distances in which the advantage would be with the
angler, to fish more distant and less promising places at
a disadvantage.

2d. Postponing the back cast until the power to strike
is nearly or quite lost.

I repeat, that he who has acquired the knack of casting
with facility, without other and further knowledge of the
art, is almost sure to err in these respects. I cannot too
strenuously urge this upon the attention of the beginner.
If the fish are very shy, the pool promising, and to be fished
from the bank, cut a bush your own height; approach
the pool slowly, holding it between you and where you
suppose the trout to lie, and when yon have reached your
station rest the butt end on the ground, supporting your
blind with the left hand. When a fish is fastened get

344 Fly-rods and Fly-taclde,

him into barren water as soon as possible, following him
still, if you can, under cover of your blind. A very
slight cover and the avoidance of quick motion are suf-
ficient to insure success, if the fish are disposed to feed.

Perhaps it may not be out of place to narrate exactly
under what circumstances this addition to the present
chapter was decided upon. ,

John and I were fishing for large trout at the outlet of
a lake in North-western Maine. The wind drew up the
outlet with sufficient force to make it advisable to anchor
our boat pretty well down, and cast up into the lake.
The strait was shallow, but the water rapidly deepened
within the lake, forming a horseshoe-shaped bar, the con-
vexity towards us, over the edge of which I cast into the
deep water and drew my flies towards the shallow. The
fishing was not very fruitful, but still it was a recognized
haunt of large trout, and one might be expected at any
moment. Soon a new-comer approached with his guide,
skirmished around the shore of the lake so as not to dis-
turb the water, anchored near us, for there was plenty of
room for two to fish, and began to cast. He was a su-
perb caster. As he sat in the boat, his flies soon touched
the water at a distance I then estimated at not less than
seventy feet from him.

There was no bungling about it; his flies went out be-
fore and behind as fair and straight as it is possible to
cast that length of line under like conditions. He was
clearly a master of the art. For about half an hour he
ranged his flies over that water, at distances varying from
fifty -five up to, I believe, over seventy feet. He got no
rise, became discouraged, pulled up his anchor, and moved
to seek better fortune elsewhere.

" That was elegant casting, John."

Casting the Fly. 345

John, before whom as guide hosts of anglers of all
grades had passed in review year after year, ''sized" it
in a moment.

'' Yes, it was elegant casting, but it was mighty poor
fishing, all the same."

For consider it a moment. The fish cruised in deep
water around the break of the bar. That was where they
concentrated, coming from all directions down the lake.
There, too, the water was not so deep but that a slow-
moving fly might tempt them from the bottom itself.
This water, the very cream of the whole, was utterly
ignored. His flies lit where the depth was not far from
twenty feet, beyond the possibility of tempting anything
not considerably nearer the surface than the bottom.
Again, the fish were working from all directions towards
the outlet, and consequently the chance of one being
there within the reach of his fly was mathematically far
more remote than at the bar itself. Also, with that length
of line, had he allowed his flies to rest a moment on the
water, it would have- been impossible to retrieve them
for the back cast. They but touched it and were off.
Large trout seldom, if ever, take a fly with the dash of a
four-ounce fish. They at all times, till the sting of the
hook galvanizes them into action, comport themselves
with dignity, and their movements are made with a con-
sistent deliberation. There was hardly a possibility of
his taking anything in that way; and so John justly
characterized it when he said, '' It was elegant casting,
but mighty poor fishing, all the same."

It may, however, be that the gentleman was merely
amusing himself, and showing us how he could cast. If
80, " I take off my hat to him," for anything more ele-
gant in that line I have seldom or never seen.

346 Fly-rods amd Fly4ackle.

In regard to the second fault in our enumeration, that
of postponing the back cast till the power to strike is
impaired, there is a way to surmount it, which, though it
may be in common use in some localities, I have never
seen employed except by the gentleman from whom I
borrowed it. For it may well happen that, when the
angler would prefer to take his flies off the water, he
has* reason to suppose a trout is on the way to them.
If the fish is a large one, the probability of coaxing a
second rise may be doubtful. It is not wise to arrest
the motion of the fly, since one has been found that is
attractive, and who can tell, if it halts, whether he will
not follow suit. So the temptation to postpone the back
cast becomes almost irresistible, usually entailing the con-
sequences of yielding to temptation.

I can give a case in point, and from my own past
experience.

It was September and was decidedly an off month in
Maine waters. The weather held on warm, and the
customary cold rains held off, in a most exasperating
manner. So the big fish held off too. John and I made
up our minds to follow them to where they lived. It
was a tough job, involving lots of hard work, poling a
light canoe - shaped boat over rapids, paddling it over
pools, and lifting it over or crowding it under the nu-
merous giants of the forest, which the winter gales of
years had uprooted and thrown into the stream. Thus
we traversed some three miles of a river which, as far as
known, had been fished but once before, and that five
years previously. It was the perfection of a trout-
stream — clear and cold, a succession of deep pools al-
ternated with rapids, while the primeval forest through
which it took its way shaded the waters, and furnished

Castmg the Fly, 347

'with its ruins abandant cover. Above and below I
knew the stream well, and hundreds of trout had taken
my flies therein.

The descending sun warned us that we would be be-
nighted in the woods before we could regain our camp,
as we entered the foot of the pool which we determined
should mark our return. Yet not even one single rise
had I had all day. It may be they had abandoned that
portion of the river on the way to their spawning-beds,
or they may have taken a pledge of total abstinence;
but whatever the cause, such was the result, and a suf-
ficiently aggravating result it was. For we had footed
it four miles through the woods, and had forced a boat
through some six or seven miles of quick water, the lat-
ter part greatly obstructed, and had cast all day long at
every available opportunity, and had as yet caught noth-
ing. A like return intervened between us and both
food and shelter.

We entered the pool, the canoe gliding slowly over its
placid surface under the impulse of John's skilful pad-
dle. The still water was perhaps a hundred and fifty
feet long, some seventy-five feet wide, and of unknown
depth. Over and among " coarse rocks " the river poured
in a heavy rapid into its upper end, and left it in the same
manner. Surely few pools approach more closely the an-
gler's ideal. The overhanging forest forced us to take
pretty well to the middle, that there might be room for the
back cast, and the position of the canoe compelled a cast
somewhat ahead rather than abeam, in order that the fiy
should light where the trout, if any, might be expected
to lie. The motion of the boat in the direction of the
cast continually tended to slacken the line, for which
compensation had to be made by abbreviating the time

348 Fly-rods amd Fly-tackle.

daring which the fly was allowed to remain on the wa-
ter, by accelerating the motion of the rod when moving
it, and by abridging the length of the cast.

At last I saw a gleam of gold down in the depths, and
a tront appeared wagging his way upward towards my
fly, with the deliberation characteristic of trout of size
in those waters. As he approached the surface, his vivid
colors proclaimed his sex through the crystal water, and
I was enabled to gauge his weight at about ^\e pounds.
Clearly he was a nice fish, and I assured myself of from
twenty minutes to half an hour of such sport as w^ould
fully make good the labors and disappointments of the
day.

But the time for the back cast had come, and he had
not reached the fly. What was to be done ? If it were
taken from the water, and he turned to go back after
seeing me, as he must do, and especially after seeing the
motion incident to the back cast, there would not be one
chance in ten of coaxing him up again. So, hoping that
he would take it before the power to strike should be
utterly gone, I reduced the motion of the fly to the mini-
mum, and awaited the event.

At last he reached it, and the fly vanished. Then I
struck with the vigor rendered necessary by the disad-
vantage that I was under, and stimulated by the con-
sciousness that I had committed a stupid blunder. He
turned downward, the bamboo doubled up, and the reel
sang. In a moment the sound ceased, the rod straight-
ened itself, the fly came back to me empty handed, and
he was gone.

No offer could have been fairer, and I could not for a
moment blind myself to the fact that the loss was clearly
my own fault. So I fell to abusing myself in no meas-

Castmg the FVy.

349

ured terms. Now when a man attacks himself he is sure
to get the worst of it ; so John, who at heart was doubt-
less as much disappointed as I, came to the rescue, and
exercised his ready wit in the invention of excuses. But
I silenced him with, "John, you know you are just as
much disgusted with me as I am with myself. You
know that that fish was lost by my own gross stupidity ;
there is really no excuse for it, not even that I knew no
better. There, let us drop the subject and go back to
camp. I am through fishing, at any rate for to-day."

Emergencies of this character arise continually in the
experiences of every angler, especially if he fishes much
in strange waters where he seeks to locate the trout by
casting from a moving boat. The following is a remedy:

Fig.SS.

The rod should be so held that the line leads from the
reel over all the fingers of the hand employed, except the

850 Fhf^roda and Fly4acUe,

first. Under that finger it passes, so that it may be com-
pressed against the handle of the rod and checked at
will, or relaxed, and allowed to render from the reel, bj
partially opening or tightly closing that finger.

Now when the angler has reason to believe a rising
fish will not reach his fly before it ought to be taken off
the water, or when he has overcast a choice spot, and
cannot draw his flies across it without wholly or in part
losing the power to strike, if he will arrest his rod when
in the most favorable position, and then seizing the line
with his left hand near the lower ring of the rod, draw it
through the rings, being careful always to nip it with the
first finger of his right hand when he shifts his left for
a fresh hold, he can thus keep his fly still in motion, even
to the extent of all the line he has out, and at the same
time always retain unimpaired the power to strike. Af-
ter the fish is fastened, he may be played upon the slack-
line banging between the lower ring and the reel, by al-
lowing it to render between the thumb and finger of the
left hand, thus keeping up the required tension. In this
manner he may be brought to the net if small; while if
of such size that a protracted contest is to be expected,
the slack -line will probably be wholly taken up by his
first dasb, and the angler will have him upon the reel,
thereafter to be played in the usual manner.

This point I consider of great practical value. Hard-
ly a day passes in my own fishing that I do not resort to
it more or less, and by it I have taken many nice trout
that otherwise I believe I should have lost. I should
have resorted to it at once in the instance cited, and
the consciousness that had I done so the result would
probably have been different, was harder to bear than
the loss of the fish.

Flies and Fby-jishmg. 851

CHAPTER X

FLIES AND FLY-FISHING.

Directions for fly-makiog have been given in nearly
every book on angling. I can add nothing new to what
has already been said time and again on the subject, and
therefore pass it by.

Considerable difference of opinion exists as to how
closely the artificial fly should resemble the actual in-
sect. At best the similarity is by no means striking ;
still the question remains, is it worth while to strive for
it at the increased cost of money or labor necessarily in-
volved. On this point fly-fishermen of experience are
pretty equally divided.

In my opinion both parties are correct; sometimes and
in some localities it being advisable, while in others it is
not. This is fairly debatable ground, for our only ap-
peal seems to be to experience, or, in other words, to the
individual opinion which each angler may have formed
from the experience he has had. The circumstances un-
der which experience is gained are so important an ele-
ment in determining the value and the applicable limit
of the teachings derived therefrom, that divergent opin-
ion must necessarily follow. It may well be conceived
that he whose angling has been confined to much fished
waters, and he who habitually fishes far from the haunts
of men, where trout are both numerous and uneducated,
would differ in experience, and consequently in opinion.

352 Fly-Tods wad Fly4aclde.

We must remember that onr horizon does not include
the whole habitable globe. It may rain in the State of
New York, while the sun is shining in full splendor elfie>
where. The truth is there are few points in regard t<>
fly-fishing of which it may justly be said this is right and
that is wrong irrespective of attendant circumstances.
As the inhabitants of the Eastern States differ from
those of the West or South, so the fish of different locali-
ties differ in habit and inclination. The most killing flies
on the Maine waters would scare the trout of a Pennsyl-
vania brook into fits. We know next to nothing of the
causes which influence the conduct of fish. To-day they
will take any kind of humbug greedily — to-morrow, with-
out apparent change of conditions, they act as though it
were a solemn fast, and ignore every form of temptation.
To-day they swarm — to-morrow they have vanished.
Every angler can recall many instances of this kind. I
remember, six or seven years ago, I went out on one of
the piers which support the " Upper-dam " of the Rangely
Lakes. Before I could joint my rod, up rolled one of
those gigantic trout for which that locality is famous.
A swirl in the water like that from the blade of an oar,
and the sight of a tail as broad as my hand is long, set
me to work without unnecessary delay. From about
nine o'clock in the forenoon until late in the afternoon
I cast, except for a hurried lunch, without a moment's
cessation. Twelve rods were at work within sight all
this time, and except a comparatively little fish of three
and a half pounds which fell to my rod, not another
trout was taken during all that time ; yet these large
fish were constantly rising throughout the day. This is
by no means a solitary or unusual instance. Every one
accustomed to those waters has seen the same happen

Flies wad Fly-fishing, 358

again and again. Indeed I have come to regard it as
an unfavorable indication for sport when the large trout
roll to the surface freely. I have heard many reasons
assigned for this, but 1 notice that the confidence with
which these are asserted is in inverse proportion to the
opportunities for observation of the asserter. The really
experienced freely confess themselves altogether at a loss
to account for this state of affairs. For some reason or
other that the fish will not bite is apparent, but why
has so far eluded investigation. I know that some brook
fishermen will jump to the conclusion that these trout
are then feeding on gnats, and that with such flies they
might then be taken. Let me assure such, that the an-
gler's golden rule, " If one thing don't work, try another,"
is not altogether unknown to the Maine fishermen. Flies
of all sorts and sizes have been tried under these circum-
stances together with every wile known to fishermen
(except a shot-gun), and all in vain. Indeed I have
heard of one gentleman who, driven to desperation, dis-
carded the fly and took to bait. Three hooks were at-
tached to his line, armed respectively with a mouse, a
piece of salt pork, and a raisin.

Again, two years ago, I went with a friend up the Ma-
galloway River, in the same State, above Parmacheene
Lake. It seemed as though one could easily catch a
tabf ul of trout that day. Using but a single fly, we
stopped at one hundred and fifty apiece long before the
day was done, returning all to the water except the few
which were injured beyond recovery. They were small
fish, few above a pound and a qaarter or below half a
pound. Two days afterwards I accompanied some friends,
then visiting that region for the first time, over the same
ground. No rain had fallen, and the height of the wa-
28

854 Fh^iroda and Fhf4ackU.

ter was unchanged. That, and the intervening day,
fair, and as like the day first mentioned as one pea is like
another. Yet though we really worked hard, and de-
voted the entire day to it, the total catch of tiie whole
party would hardly amount to two dozen. Never in all
my experience there had I seen such an utter failure of
sport. Why was it ? It was not because we had. fiahed
the place out on the first occasion, since we did not then
kill twenty fish altogether, nor had the stream been fished
in the mean time.

For years, between the 10th of September and the Ist
of October, the outlet of that lake has invariably been as
a bank, on which one could always draw for lar)ge fish,
with the certainty that his efforts would be honored.
Yet last year the utmost diligence was fruitless. The
large fish did not '^ show up " there at all, those that
were taken being found at other, and hitherto not Tery
fruitful localities. It was not because the fish were gone,
since they swarmed in the preceding spring ; and during
the very time when they were so misusing us, they ooald
be seen and heard on any still evening breaking into and
through schools of minnows all over the lake. Again
and again I have had excellent fishing in the morning,
while the afternoon spent in the same places has been
quite barren, and vice verm.

I have at times thought I knew something about
the habits of trout, and that I could approximate in
the morning to the probable sport of that day, but I
now freely admit I know little or nothing about them.
That trout are governed by something it is reasonable
to suppose; but why they should throng together at
one time and vanish at another — why they should take
the most transparent fraud on one occasion, and with-

Fliea <md Fly-fishmg. 365

in a few hours refuse everything, not only flies, but live
and dead bait as well, and this without any apparent
change of light, air, food, or water, is a problem the
Rolution of which I have often attempted, but always
in vain.

And so it is with regard to flies. A very few varieties,
probably not over seven or eight at the outside, will an-
swer every purpose, and any increase in this respect is
useless lumber — always provided, however, that the an-
gler fishes in but one locality. I know many writers
have expressed the same view before me, but always, as
far as I can recollect, without this, as it seems to me, all-
important proviso. It by no means follows, nor is it the
fact, that the flies which kill in one State will be equally
efficient in another. On almost every water some one fly
will for a time prove superior. How long this will last
no man can tell. It may be for years, and it may be for a
single season, or for but a few days, or even for a single
occasion only. The form and colors of this are by no
means invariably a copy of any natural insect then upon
the water. Not only may it differ from these, but it may
be quite unlike anything known to the most prof ound in
bug-lore ; indeed I am inclined to think the latter is far
more frequently the case. But conceding, for the sake
of argument, that trout are as discriminating as an ento-
mologist in reference to form and color, how can we
deny their utter ignorance of, or indifference to, the
manner in which winged insects comport themselves
upon the water. Discarding for a moment the enthu-
siasm with which we all regard everything pertaining
to the art, and descending to the basis of cold fact, who
ever saw a real insect light upon the water, and then
rush across it with the energy of a broker's clerk seek-

85« Fly-Tods and Fly4acUe.

ing to make a delivery, when the hand of the clock in
but a hair's-breadth from the hour which will mark his
default. The truth is we cannot, with any appliaxice in
common use in this country at all events, even approxi-
mate to the usual motions of a fly when upon the wa-
ter. We do, however, imitate somewhat the action of a
minnow or water-bug. Again and again has the doubt
intruded itself on my mind, whether trout regard the
artificial fly in any other light than that of a living thing
small enough to be eaten, without a thought as to what
portion of the animal kingdom it may belong.

No living man can say, when upon unfamiliar waters,
what fly will prove most alluring. The greater his expe-
rience the more tentative does he consider his first efforts.
He then makes up his cast to resemble, for lack of other
guidance, as nearly as his facilities will permit, both in
size and color, those flies he may observe upon the wa-
ter. Failing this, he is governed by the appearance of
the sky and water. If it is a bright day and the water
is clear, he selects dark flies of small size. If the sky is
overcast and the water turbid or brown in color, those
chosen will be larger, lighter colored, and more gaudy
in hue. Color is a very important factor in the choice,
perhaps the most important. He therefore makes up his
cast of flies, the colors of which contrast sharply with
one another, until he can ascertain which best suits the
fickle fancy of his game.

Therefore, for one who fishes in no fixed locality — for
a cosmopolitan angler, so to speak — a well-stocked fly-
book, containing many varieties and of various sizes, is
not at all to be decried. The veteran angler never neg-
lects when about to fish unknown waters, to interview
and question some one wh<rhas fished there, if such can

FUes <md Fly-fishmg. 887

be found. If not, he resorts to his host, or anybody
else who seems able to afford information.

Every stream has its own peculiarities, not only as to
the most successful fly, but as to the habits of its trout
as well.

Some years ago, when I knew more about fly-fishing
than I ever shall again, I made a fishing trip to Tobyhan-
na, in Pennsylvania. I had frequently fished streams
within thirty or forty miles of there, and supposed I at
least knew where to look for sport. The weather was
propitious, rather showery perhaps, but still a good fishing
day. The stream was a wading brook of brownish color,
quick water being succeeded by still reaches, apparently
stagnant. I fished the rapid water with care and indif-
ferent success. The still waters, though they were less
obstructed and easier to cast over, I ignored altogether,
because the look of the banks and the water indicated a
muddy bottom, and I then believed trout never fre-
quented such localities. When I returned in the even-
ing to the hotel, I was astonished to no small degree
when the landlord informed me that these were the very
cream of the whole fishing. Nor was this all. I found
that the small, sober-tinted flies I had been accustomed
to were next to worthless, apd that flies larger than I
supposed were ever successfully used for trout, and much
more gaudy in color, were needed in those waters. These
revelations had not a little undermined my self-confi-
dence, but its utter annihilation was reserved for the next
day. I then met my landlord on the stream. I was cast-
ing in what I considered very fair style, and when my
flies lit upon the water I drew them diagonally across the
stream, the droppers just skimming the surface. I had
then never seen nor heard of any other method of ma-

858 FVy-Toda a/nd Fly4aeJde.

nipalating artificial flies in trout fishiDg, and that this was
not the only proper manner to display them at all times,
in all places, and under all conditions, I had never enter-
tained the most remote suspicion. After feeling his waj
with some caution, in order to be sure the suggestion
would not be deemed officious, he said, '' That method of
handling the flies may be all right on small streams and
in clear water, but here it is next to useless." Had he
told me that the flies should be displayed on the bank,
rather than on the stream, I could scarcely have been
more astonished. Utterly demoralized, I surrendered the
rod, and asked for a practical exhibition of his method.
The first cast at once indicated the expert. The flies lit
lightly on the water, and there remained for at least thirty
seconds, without other motion than that they gradually
sunk below the surface. Then he drew them towards him
by a series of very slow and short pulls, each separated
by a brief pause from its predecessor, till near enough for
another cast.

That trip, though the net result in the way of fish was
nothing to boast of, was one of the most remunerative
fishing excursions I have ever made; for I then learned
to be extremely diffident when strange waters were under
discussion, and invariably to listen, with at least appar-
ent patience and respect, to the suggestions or views of
others.

Though the method I then used is undoubtedly correct
as a general rule in clear waters, at least if of no great
depth, it is by no means invariably, or even usually, ad-
vantageous in the brown-colored waters of which so many
of our trouting streams are composed, especially on deep
pools.

One of the most marked cases in point is the Rangely

FUea and Fly-fi%hvn^. 859

region of Maine. I dwell somewhat at length on the, as
I believe, proper method of fishing there, at least for large
fish: first, because I think it the best readily accessible
fishing country; and secondly, because from my own
personal observation it seems not generally known to,
or at any rate practised by, many of the anglers who
visit its waters. The local guides are accustomed to the
society of gentlemen, and have, as a general rule, gentle-
manly instincts. They are usually anxious to please their
temporary employers, and spare no pains to afford them
the best possible sport. Ignorant how great their confi-
dence may be in their own skill, as well as in what spirit
suggestion may be received, they make it an invariable
rule never to comment in any way on the manner in
which they fish, except in response to a direct question.
Even then their answers are couched in terms so modest
as not always to have the weight they deserve.

It is not to be forgotten that these men possess powers
of observation sharpened by constant exercise from their
earliest boyhood. Year after year, from the beginning
of each open season to its end, and upon almost every
day of the season, fly-fishing is constantly going on in
their presence. Their employers frequently change.
They see not only the methods employed by the many
gentlemen they may happen to be with from time to
time, but also those used by the sportsmen employing
their comrades, and when off duty these are frequent
subjects of conversation among them. Thus they are
familiar with every phase of the art, have seen each
practically tested, and know its value. As might be sup-
posed, they are all skilled anglers.

He who had passed one entire season in daily fishing
in that locality, would believe himself, and others would

860 FVy-Tods omd Fly-tdckle.

consider him, entitled to speak with authority on ^wbat-
ever pertained to the sport there; yet his range of ob-
servation would be much narrower than that of these
guides.

I have not jumped to the conclusions stated below.
Though my personal experience amply confirms them, it
is not so much my own views that I am aboat to express
as those of the guides, in which, I believe, they are qnite
unanimous.

The matter first came to my attention in the following
manner : During the first of a companionship in which
some of the happiest moments of my life have since been
passed, I was fishing under the tutelage of that well-
known guide, John S. Danforth. I asked him, '^ John,
who catches the most big fish of any of the sportsmen

who come here ?" He replied that a Mr. S ^ of Boston,

was the most successful in that respect. I asked him
how he handled his flies, and made him show me, rod in
band. But a single fly was used, and that large — one
tied on a No. 2 Harrison Sproat hook is none too big.
The fly was cast fair and straight, allowed to sink six
inches or even a foot where it fell, then it was moved
very slowly three or four feet, then followed qaite a
pause, when it was again put in motion, drawn slowly to
within convenient distance for the back cast, and taken
quietly and smoothly from the water. The main points
were to keep the fly below rather than on the surface,
and to move it slowly. Better fortune at once attended
the adoption of this system, especially in the size of the
fish taken.

Those having the best opportunities of observation
think that in that region the large fish are not surface-
feeders, at least on insects. Of course every one has seen

Flies <md Fly-Jkhing. 861

them, when in the twilight the lakes are unrippled by
a breeze, and the slightest dimple of the mirror- like
water is conspicuous — every one has then seen large
trout dash from underneath through a school of min-
nows playing on the surface. For large trout to roll
up during the month of September is also of frequent
occurrence. But I believe no one has as yet fathomed
the cause of this. The most careful observations fail to
show that any food is then taken ; and, as I have said
before, it is by some regarded as an unfavorable in-
dication, as far as successful fishing is concerned. But
I have no recollection, in ten quite protracted fishing ex-
cursions to those waters, ever having seen a trout of over
two pounds take a natural fly at all, nor have I ever seen
a trout of over four pounds take the artificial fly or even
a bait on the surface of the water. It may happen, but it
is certainly by no means common. Small fish up to two,
or even two and a half pounds, may readily be enticed to
take a fly manipulated in the usual manner ; but if the
larger fish are desired, and a surfeit of the smaller is soon
had, a large fly must be used, and it must be moved
slowly and somewhat below the surface, the deeper the
better.

In this manner of fishing a fair cast is absolutely in-
dispensable to success. The line and leader must fall per-
fectly straight, and the spring of the rod must be upon
them at all times when the fly is in the water. By this I
mean, that the tip of the rod must always be raised
while the fly is in motion, so that should the fly be ar-
rested, the rod will at once bend and throw its spring on
the line. Not that the angler is to rely in the slightest
degree on feeling the fish ; his eye, and his eye alone, is
his guide.

862 Fly-Toda and Fly-tacHde.

The period of time daring which the strike may be
successfully delivered is very, very brief. Large fish do
not come to the fly with that '^ bounce " which is so de-
lightful a characteristic of their younger brethren ; they
feel the dignity of their years and experience, and move
with calnmess and deliberation. He who there or else-
where expects to take the larger fish with the fly, with-
out patience, perseverance, and skill, will be disappointed.
My experience has been that the largest fish of a water,
whether scaling ten pounds or but half as many ounces,
is cautious, deliberate, and difficult to deceive, while any
one can take the smaller ones, be they fingerlings or
two-pounders ; and I believe this experience is general.
Smaller fish will come again and again to the fly, but not
so the large ones. These may rise once, but if the op-
portunity is lost, it is seldom, indeed, that they can be
induced to make a second offer.

The notion prevails among those whose knowledge of
the Rangely region is derived solely from guide-books
and newspapers, that there eight-pounders swarm, and
that any number of chances from such may be had in a
single day's fishing. This is a delusion. The large and
the small fish do not, as a general thing, frequent the
same localities, at least at the same time. The angler
must choose whether small fish will be sought, with rea-
sonable certainty of getting plenty of them, or large fish,
with very dubious prospects of success. It is to be re-
membered that it is only exceptionally good-luck which
is ever made matter of record ; it is human nature to be
silent as to its failures.

The plain truth is, that if an angler there succeeds in
attracting one eight-pounder in eight days' fishing, his
luck is decidedly above the average. By trolling, the

Flie8 a/iid Fly-JUhmg, 368

chances are somewhat increased ; hut that has little at-
traction for the fly-fisherman. No man, however, can
tell when his opportunity will come. The very first cast
may be the lucky one.

In September, 1884, a gentleman took a trout in
Rangely Lake of a fraction over nine pounds in actual
weight, not only at almost his first cast in those waters,
but also at his very first attempt to use the fly at all in
fishing — and this directly under the noses of many ex-
pert and locally experienced anglers. It was a bitter
pill to them, and though it was swallowed, it was not
without many a grimace and much railing at fortune.

Fish may be had, but the big ones seldom at the best.
Therefore it behooves him who would boast of the capt-
ure of a large trout (and it is a thing to boast of), to re-
member, '^ if he wants to catch any fish, he must keep his
line wet," and be patient and persevering. His vigilance
must never flag, ever expecting the very next cast may
draw the wished-for prize.

The eye must never for an instant stray from the fly,
and at the slightest commotion in the water near where
the fly is, or where it is supposed to be, strike at once
and strike hard, for the friction of the water on the
sunken line and leader will neutralize a feeble demon-
stration. The delicate turn of the wrist of the books
sounds well and has its sphere of usefulness, but it
is not here ; therefore I say again strike, strike prompt-
ly, and strike hard. Or, if you can see your fly, watch
it carefully, and, should it disappear, strike without the
loss of a single instant. The critical period is during
the intermediate pause or just after the fly again begins
to move. Not infrequently have I seen at this stage
of the cast a large fish rise slowly to the fly and take it in

364 Fly-rods cmd Fly4ackle.

As far as feeling bim was concerned, he mi^ht as well
have been in another county ; then the eclipse of the fly
alone indicates that he has it, and you must act without
the delay of a fraction of a second or the chance is gone.

Locate your boat first, if you fish from a boat, as is
there usual, passing over barren water if possible, and
as slowly and noiselessly as though paddling np on a
deer ; or, if your stand is ashore, take your stand.
Then allow some minutes to elapse that any alarm oc-
casioned by your approach may subside, after which
begin. Start at about thirty or thirty-five feet, and cast
around your position, directing the fly at each cast about
six feet to one side of where it last fell, and so cover the
water like the rays of a fan. When one circuit has been
completed without a rise, lengthen out about six feet,
and beginning at the same starting-point repeat. Con-
tinue this until you have all the line out you can cast
perfectly straight every time, and do not go a single
foot beyond. Should, however, a distant rise be seen,
yet within reach, go for it, but in the following manner :
Lengthen the line in the usual way, but without allow-
ing the fly to touch the water. When enough line to
reach is out, let the fly settle, and elevating the point of
the rod well, reel slowly in. To retrieve the line by the
back cast will be impossible, if the fly is left long enough
in the water to tempt the fish. I repeat, in this fishing
more than any other, it is indispensable to success that
the line fall absolutely straight. The fish will not hook
itself, nor will it afford time to gather slack line before
it rejects the fly.

Nor should discouragement follow because success is
deferred. In the month of September, as far as I have
been able to observe, these large trout are in almost con-

Flies amd Fly-fishmg. 365

stant motion, slowly cruising aboat some fixed locality
which they have selected for their spawning bed. For
an hour or more not a single fish may be within reach,
yet the next ten minutes a dozen may have approached.
Fishing over or near a spawning bed is worthy only of a
poacher, in the opinion of most anglers, but in the Range-
ly region, during June and September alone the large
fish frequent water shallow enough to subject them to
the temptation of the fly. But twenty days of the latter
month are available, and then nature has thrown about
them the protection of a most fickle appetite. If all the
large fish caught in the month of September were fairly
taken with bait or fly, the loss would be but trifling,
while the annual stream of ready money, which the often
delusive hope of taking a big trout brings into this re-
mote part of that State, otherwise so little blessed by
nature, is of the utmost importance to its scanty but
deserving population. Therefore the State of Maine
permits fishing till the first of October, and in so doing
few will question that it does wisely.

After having been in position for half an hour or so,
if in a boat and moderate quiet has been preserved —
that is, if there has been no concussion upon its sides or
bottom — reel in short and try close to the boat, particu-
larly on the shady side. Here let your fly sink pretty
well, and draw it slowly to the surface; for the fish
love the shade, and are apt to settle there.

The foregoing is the only method by which I have
ever known a fish of over four pounds' weight to be
taken with the fly. Occasionally one may rise at and
take a fly on the surface, but I have never known or even
heard of such a case. I have heard not unfrequently of
such rising to the fly of an angler who habitually fished

866 Fly-Tods and Fly-tacMe.

by drawing his flies over the water in the usaal man-
ner; bat on investigation it has invariably appeared
that the rise took place after he had become discouraged,
or when his attention was elsewhere, and that at the
time his flies were lying idle and were eubmerged.

In so far I believe I express the unanimous opinion of
the guides of that region. We now enter on more de-
batable ground.

I strongly prefer one fly for this fishing to a larger
number. When first struck these large fish seem utterly
uncontrollable by any tackle such as anglers use. Not
that they move so rapidly, for their motions are even then,
when life itself is at stake, rather deliberate ; but there
is a power in them that seems irresistible. If any ob-
struction is near, how heartily does the angler then wish
he was rid of that second fly. Besides, these large flies
are difficult to retrieve, if they are allowed to sink as they
should ; and if the resistance of a second is added to that
of the first, the range of the cast is considerably dimin-
ished. Still there are times when a second fly does good
service. It is not uncommon to take a smaller fish on
one fly, and for him to tow the other through the water,
and thus tempt and actually fasten a much larger fish.
It is not very sportsmanlike, but when large trout are
known to be within sight of the fly, and they stubbornly
refuse to be tempted, this has been tried with success.

What flies take best in those waters? There is a wide
divergence of opinion as to this; still I will give my own
for what it is worth.

My first favorite is the "Parmacheene Belle." Per-
haps I am too partial to this fly, since it is in a measure
my own child. John and I seldom fish between half-
past eleven and four o'clock. That interval is passed

FUes and Fly-fishing. 867

prowling about the woods, or shooting at a mark with a
rifle, or in some other similar way. Often the fly-tying
box is produced, and the word is, " Well, John, what
shall we tease them with this afternoon ?" Thus, on
joint suggestion, very many different combinations have
been tried, and so over twenty years ago was the " Par-
macheene Belle " born. It was a success, and since then
I have used it four -fifths of the time when fishing the
head-waters of the Androscoggin River. It somewhat
resembles the "No Name," figured opposite page 108 of
Orvis A Cheney's book, " Fishing with the Fly." The
body is lemon-yellow mohair, wrapped with silver tinsel;
tail two to four strands of white and scarlet ; hackle
white and scarlet (I have sometimes wound both hackles
on at the same time, and sometimes the white first and
the scarlet afterwards, and over the white, capping it as
it were ; the latter is the better) ; wings white, striped
with scarlet, the white decidedly predominating.

Unless I am deceived, these large trout take the fly
not as an insect, but as some form of live bait. If this
is true, an imitation of some favorite form of food is
in itself sufiicient under all circumstances, provided it
is so conspicuous as readily to be seen. To test this
theory the fly in question was made, imitating in color
the belly-fin of the trout itself.

Place the whole catalogue of known flies on the one
hand, and this single fly on the other, and force me to
choose and confine myself to that choice, and for fishing
in those waters I would choose the "Parmacheene Belle"
every time. I have tried it in sunshine and rain, at noon-
day and in the gloaming, and at all times it has proved
successful.

Twenty years* further trial, not only on the waters

368 Fly-Toda and Fly-tackle.

of the wilderness, but also on the much - fished ponds
and wading - streams of civilization, where small flies
and fine tackle are habitaally used, have but confirmed
my predilection for this fly. If I am correctly informed,
it has carried the name of dear Parmacheene even to
distant New Zealand, and is there a favorite. From
No. 2 down to No. 12 it seems to work equally well,
provided the size be proportioned to the special re-
quirements of the water to be fished. As bought in
the tackle shops, the wing usually carries too much red,
and the yellow of the body is too deep. The silver tin-
sel should be flat, of moderate width as compared with
the size of the fly, and not tarnished.

Indeed, all silver tinsels should be lackered before
use in fly-tying. Silver is one of the chemist's tests for
sulphur, the least trace of which turns the metal black.
Where coal or gas is burned, sulphur is always present
to some extent in the atmosphere, and neither fly-books
nor the receptacles in which they hibernate are air-
tight. The same effect is produced by the near conti-
guity of rubber, or any other body in the manufacture
of which sulphur has been used. He who buys a new
stock of silver - bodied or ribbed flies will do well to
lacker the silver forthwith. A thin alcoholic solution
of shellac, carefully applied, will answer, though a cellu-
loid varnish is better, if not too thick.

My second choice is the "Silver Doctor.** This fly
should have a mixed wing of yellow, white, scarlet, and
mallard, not a wing in which turkey -brown predomi-
nates. The body is all silver, the tail yellow, and the
hackle blue, capped with guinea-hen. The salmon fly
known under that name is the proper type. It is a most
astonishing combination to that angler who has been

Flies and Fly-fiahmg. ' 869

accustomed to the sad tints of the more killing flies of
the Middle States. But it may be said here that none
of the taking flies of the Rangely region bear the re-
motest resemblance to any insect there, or, I believe,
elsewhere to be found. Nay, further, imitations of the
local insects are there comparatively quite unsuccessful.

Next in my favor comes the salmon fly known as the
" Black Dose." Its body is black pig's-wool or mohair,
ribbed with oval silver, black hackle, yellow tail, and
mixed wing, with jungle-cock sides. The tail should be
of golden-pheasant crest, and the wing should be topped
with a larger feather of the same kind. In dark, low-
ery weather, and when the water runs somewhat roily,
with a whitish color, this fly has many a time done me
yeoman's service with the large fish.

Indeed, I am indebted to this fly for, or, at least, as-
sociate with it, one of the pleasantest episodes of my
angling experience.

In company with two friends, I was on my return
from an expedition to Sitka, Alaska, in which we had
taken in, as well as circumstances would permit, the
angling as well as the sight -seeing of the country
traversed, including the Nepigon and Columbia rivers,
Yellowstone Park, the Canadian National Park, and
such intermediate waters as were opportune.

Some, perhaps, will bear reminding that the Colum-
bia River heads near the northern boundary of the
United States, flows north between the Rocky and
Selkirk Mountains, doubles the northern end of the
Selkirk range, and then runs south, across the bound-
ary-line, through Washington and Oregon to the Pacific.

We had arranged for the exclusive use of a stern-
wheel steamboat, one of the sort reputed to ask no
24

370 Fly-rods and Fly-tackle.

ampler facilities for navigation than a heavy dew. As
is usual in this type of boat, the motive power, f reig^ht
conveniences, and crew, occupied the main deck ; while
the passengers and skipper harbored in a railway-car-
like structure upon the upper deck. We were to em-
bark at Oolden, on the Canadian Pacific Railway, and
ascend the river as far as we could find the dew suf-
ficiently heavy.

From the day we left Yellowstone Park, all the way
west to Tacoma, by way of Portland, Oregon, up through
Paget Sound to Vancouver, east on the Canadian Pacific
Railway to Glacier, into the Selkirk Mountains, wild-
goat hunting, and again on the railway to GU>lden, four
hundred and eighty miles east from the Pacific coast
— over all this vast tract of country hung a pall of
wood -smoke from forest -fires, gray and depressing.
The magnificent mountains which make the scenery of
this region "equalled by few and excelled by none **
were to us as though they were not, the smoke - fog
blotting out everything not close at hand. Though we
had seen it all before under other and more favorable
conditions, we were none the less in sympathy with the
dismal character of the visible landscape, for to a lover
of the woods in the woods, and such were we all, the
thought of a forest-fire is as the thought of the ravages
of small-pox on the face of a beautiful woman.

We were discharged from the train at Gblden in the
early evening, and as the smoke blotted the surround-
ing landscape from sight we saw only Oolden, and saw
it with undistracted attention purely on its naked mer-
its. And such a Golden! A small, very respectable
little railway station, two two -story frame buildings,
half transient lodging-house — conscience forbids to wit

Flies and Fly-Jkhing. 871

hotel — ^half "gin-mill," two or three other frame build-
ings not "gin-mills," and fifteen or twenty scattered
log-houses and cabins made up the metropolis. And
not one single green thing in sight — ^a dismal Golden!
Why is it, in the new towns west of the Rocky Moun-
tains, where timber grows, in some localities grows so
magnificently, that the pioneer settlers seem to know no
peace of mind till they have skinned the land as bare of
trees as the back of one's hand? I sometimes think
that an unrestrained man with an axe, and skilled in its
use, is as much worse than a small boy with a drum as
his evil deeds are more lasting in effect.

The first living object of interest we saw was a long-
legged Chinaman, who, impassive in face as a sphinx,
stalked the length of the station platform, towing his
long pig-tail behind him, and also, by a less visible but
apparently no less secure tenure, a small, black and bare-
headed Chinese girl, apparently about thirteen or four-
teen years old, who trotted at his heels as a dog follows
its master. The station-master informed us this midget
was the long-legged Chinaman's wife, and delivered
himself of some remarks upon the Chinese in general,
and that male sample in particular, which left the hearer
in no doubt that, if he possibly did regard that sample
as a man, he certainly did not look upon him as a
brother.

One, and but one,- other passenger alighted from the
train — a nice-looking, dove-eyed girl of nineteen or
twenty, evidently a mother's girl, and apparently thrown
on her own resources for the first time, and keenly con-
scious how inadequate those resources were.

As far as inspection went, it was a case of Hobson's
choice between the two rival hostelries. But the station-

872 Fly^ods and Fly-tacJde.

master thought we might find one a shade better thao
the other, and to that one we went, the girl, who had
listened eagerly to his cross-examination, following.

We found the accommodations not so bad, and also
that our boat, though due, had not returned as jet
from her last trip, and that we must wait for her. It
was supposed the dew had been insufficient somewhere
up the river. Having removed the dust of travel, we
went to supper, in which we felt the angler's customary
deep interest. But this interest soon gave place to a
far deeper interest, for opposite sat our fellow-traveller,
vainly endeavoring to eat, while tear chased tear in
quick succession down each side of her pretty nose.
\y'e inferred that she, too, was a stranger to Golden the
dismal, and that it had found no favor in her sight —
in short, that she was homesick. So after the manner
of anglers, at any rate of bachelor anglers, our hearts
hecame as wax at the sight of girl's tears, and we cast
about to devise at least some palliative, if not a remedy.
Fortunately our party was well equipped for such an
emergency, since at its head stood our senior's wife, a
lady whose tact was equalled by her kindness of heart,
while our junior was a college lad, tall, strong, and deb-
onair, and with a ready zeal in the service of a pretty
girl difficult to exaggerate.

We soon had her story. She lived in Victoria on
Vancouver's Island, had never been from home before,
had received the appointment of school-mistress at
Golden, and had come to take the place. But our land-
lord — ^a big, burly, brutal, red-headed ruffian, at least to
the eye — ^had informed her that he was one of the school-
board, that he had not been consulted about her appoint-
ment, and that he would be — not blest — if she should

FUes and Fly-fishing. 373

have the position. Up to that time the alterDative of
idling three or four days in Golden or abandoning our
trip up the Columbia had put the men of our party
deep in the dumps. But now life had a fresh interest,
and we were in no hurry. We would beguile that
blatherskite if it was in the Book of Fate, no matter
what moral obliquity it might entail.

So after our lady had comforted the girl to the best
of her ability, assuring her that we would take her part
and that our powers of persuasion were such that we
could coax a cast-iron image into dancing a gavotte if
we chose, our junior undertook to so entertain the girl
that she should have neither time nor inclination to
think, while we other men moved on the enemy's works,
wrath and disgust in our hearts, the smile of dissimula-
tion on our lips.

If to think one thing and say another is to lie, how
we did lie ! I believe Machiavelli himself would have
applauded our duplicity. We carefully avoided the
school business that evening. Given time, and the wise
and wily do not assault the citadel until the outworks
are won and a practicable breach is made. Our interest
in the business outlook of Golden was marked. If he
did not think he might possibly stick us with a mine or
two, it certainly was not pur fault. His accommodations
were so much better than we had expected — how did
he manage so well in a place so remote, etc. We even
drank his rum and made him drink with us, both of
which I still think showed the devotion of the hero to
our cause. By bedtime we were in a position to report
encouraging progress.

The next day we resumed operations along the same
line of approach, each assuming the same role. Indeed,

374 Fly-rods and Fly tackle.

the strong inclination of our junior to argue the matter
with a good sound stick of fire-wood, a feeling with
which we could but sympathize, unfitted him for anv
but his old part ; for however desirable such an active
method of negotiation might be, it was evident that it
was as highly inexpedient.

Suffice it to say that before the afternoon was over
we had him. Though as vicious as a bear in a trap
whenever he recalled his fancied wrong, in which he
had our deepest sympathy in words, at last he con-
cluded that, after all, it was not the girl's fault, and that
it was hardly square to make one so friendless and so
far from home suffer for the misdeeds of others. Not
only should she have the place, but he would take her
part while she filled the place, and if anybody tried to
put on her they should hear from him.

The beauty of it was that he seemed to have not the
slightest suspicion that we had any part in his change
of heart, but looked upon it as the natural outgrowth
of his own generosity and sense of fair play, which .
opinion we heartily encouraged and metaphorically
patted him on the back as a bright and shining example
of all that was chivalrous. And we celebrated our vic-
tory with drinks all round.

But the best came last, as it should in a comedy.
When our senior spoke of how troubled the girl had
been, how happy she now would be, the pleasure it
would give him to carry her the good news, and rose
for that purpose, our landlord interposed a prompt veto.
We could come along if we liked, but he and he only
was to do the talking. And he did, and did it, too,
with a rough kindness as far as the girl was personally
concerned, and a degree of ferocity when he spoke of

Flies cmd Fly-Jishing, 376

any possible future enmity against her in the settle-
ment, that was as gratifying as it was unexpected.
Indeed, from that moment his marked good-will towards
her, and the active interest he took in securing her the
best boarding-place in the settlement for an unprotected
girl, was really chivalrous. For though sensitive to a
supposed slight and prompt to resent it, our landlord
really hid a heart of gold under his rough exterior — a
type of man not so uncommon in the wild West.

Well may the reader ask, How do you associate all
this with the Black Dose fly, with reference to which
you introduced this somewhat lengthy episode? The
answer is that the recollection of a good deed well
done, of which few of us have a superabundance, is ever
a perennial gratification, and that this fly alone did me
any service on our trip up the river. So the two have
become so associated in my mind that I seldom use the
one without thought of the other.

Well, we went up the river in our heavy-dew steam-
boat — ^a pea-soup-looking river, hopeless for fly-fishing,
adorned with many verdure - covered islands, flowing
through a level valley five or six miles wide, bounded
by the mighty Rockies on the east and the mightier Sel-
kirks on the west. Sometimes the banks were fringed,
sometimes covered by forest, while at frequent intervals
we came upon back-water lagoons abounding in wild
ducks and geese, overlooked from the superstructure of
the boat wherein we were quartered.

It was great navigation. Crippled by a recent fall
received while goat hunting in the Selkirks, shore ex-
cursions were not for me. But our senior and junior
were in fine condition and simply devoured with desire
to reduce to possession some out of the myriads of ducks

376 Fly-Toda athd Fl/y-tackle.

and geese we saw disporting themselves on the back
waters. When a pond easy of approach and well pop-
ulated was seen, a word to our skipper and the boat
swung into the bank. Then what a crashing of branches,
snapping of twigs, and scattering of leaves there was,
until some of the crew leaped ashore and tied the boat
up to convenient trees. Then a gang-plank w^as run
out, and away our gunners went, animated with the
characteristic Anglo-Saxon desire to go and kill some-
thing, while I remained behind as full of sighs as a
boarding-school girl over a pathetic novel.

While these side-issues were in progress I had natn-
rally inquired about the fishing, and had learned that
after the snows ceased melting on the mountains, and
the river became clear, a fish they called a " char," and
up to ten and twelve pounds in weight, might be taken
in abundance. As naturally, I earnestly desired a per-
sonal introduction to this fish. At last we tied up at
the mouth of a branch stream, which, though discourag-
ingly white with silt, was still much clearer than the
river. On one of the men remarking that it was a good
place for char, I brought my rod on to the forward deck
and began to string up. Evidently my style of fishing-
tackle was new to the men. One of them said : " Yon
don't expect to catch any fish with that rig, do you?**
"Oh, no," I replied ; "I thought I would just amuse
myself a little while the others are ashore." Another
said : " Why, if you really want to see those fish we
will catch some for you." Receiving a suitable reply,
they went ashore, cut some poles, and attached their
lines, baiting with some pieces of a wild duck. By the
time I had strung up, had studied the set of the cur-
rent, and concluded where the fish were likely to lie,

Flies cmd Fly-JUhing. 877

and had ascertained the depth of the water, they were
ready, and we began to fish together.

Obviously the color of the water indicated a Black
Dose, while its turbidity made surface fishing hopeless.
So with a No. 4 single fly I longed out to reach an eddy
about fifty or sixty feet distant, let my fly sink until I
judged it to be near the bottom, and drew the line
through the rings with my left hand, thus fishing the
fly all the way from where it sank almost up to the
boat. The shore party soon returned, but by that time
I had taken five, while my coadjutors had fastened but
one fish, which they promptly proceeded to lose in the
process of "derricking" it out. The angler will at once
perceive that their bait was by no means of the best,
and that in all probability they were unable to reach
the best places. But they did not seem to suspect they
were handicapped. Never, apparently, were men more
astonished, and to hear them talk of it afterwards it
would almost have been thought that I had been taking
whales from the distance of a quarter of a mile with a
wheat straw and a strand from a spider's web.

The average denizen of the wilderness has a very
poor opinion of a city man's ability to do anything ex-
cept wear "store " clothes and spend money. While he
smiles with incredulity at all verbal professions of abil-
ity to do, he is at the same time very alive to the logic
of observed facts. To profess at the outside not more
than 25 per cent, of what one feels sure one can accom-
plish, is nowhere more judicious than in the wilderness.

Next in my favor, where the trout run large, is the
well-known " Montreal," with crimson body and hackle,
flat gold tinsel, scarlet tail, and brown turkey — or, bet-
ter still, brown mallard — wing.

878 Fly-rods and Fly-tctckle.

The "Brown Hackle," "Yellow Professor,'' or
" Grizzly King," all too well known to require descrip-
tion, are also very good flies for the wilderness. If the
wings of these are made of two separate mallard feathers,
set with the concave side outward instead of in the usual
manner, they are greatly improved. In the air such a
fly is not attractive, but handle it by a series of short,
slow jerks a little below the surface of still water, ami
its wings will open and shut so that it really appears^
to swim — ^a process which seems amazingly to strike
the fancy of large trout.

With these flies I consider an angler well equipped
for any campaign in the wilderness where the trout run
large. Greater variety is unnecessary. Nos. 4 and 6 are
the best all-around sizes ; but when the wat^r is very
rough and the fish very large, No. 2 is sometimes more
killing.

And here let me caution yon once more, if you pro-
pose to fish these waters, or any others in which large
fish may be had, never put a leader to your line which
has not been tested since it was last dry and stiff. Dry
gut will crack if bent, and the better and more els^tic
Uie gut, the greater will be the injury caused by such a
mishap. These cracks in a leader defy the closest in-
spection, and their presence or absence can only be de-
termined by a test of its strength.

In these waters a guide is essential to the stranger if
he wishes good sport; for, as a general rule, one place,
as far as surface indications are concerned, looks as well
as another, and the best fishing -grounds are and have
been discovered only by actual trial, rod in hand. These
the guides know of course, and they will place their
sportsman where the chances are then best.

Flies and Fly-fishing. 879

Such as are reasonable in their expectations, and not
over conceited, can have good sport in this region ; but
let me strongly advise him who goes there for the first
time, at least, to place himself in the hands of his guide
without reserve. Say to him, in such terms that he will
not doubt your sincerity, that you are a stranger, and
propose to be governed as to where and how you fish,
and the flies you use, entirely by his directions ; that he
is to make such suggestions as he thinks proper at all
times, and that you wish him so to do. You may feel
sure your confidence will not be abused, and that he will
then do the very best for you that circumstances will
permit.

June and September are the best months for fly-fish-
ing, the large fish being taken at other times only by
deep trolling, or still -fishing with bait in deep water.
Fly-fishing is not commonly practised in June, but
judging from a single experience in 1883, 1 think this
a mistake.

But little has been written on the development of vi-
sion and hearing in fish, and that little has been theory
rather than deduction from actual experiment. My own
experiments as to the effect that sound produces on trout
(and I assume that all fishes are more or less alike in this
respect) have been confined to this : Frequently, when
able to observe a trout while myself unseen, I have
screamed and shouted at the top of my voice. These
demonstrations have invariably been without the slight-
est effect; but when varied by a concussion which could
communicate itself to the water this has no longer been
the case, and evidence of alarm, or at least that the cou'
cussion was felt, has been apparent. In an English work,
the name of which I in vain endeavor to recall, an account

880 Fly-rods and Fly-iackle.

of 8ome very interesting and more decisive experiments
are given. The writer caused a building to be erected
over the water, and made his observations through small
apertures constructed for the purpose, so that he was
quite concealed. His trout were well accustomed to the
wiles of the angler, and timid. Sending a man out of
sight behind the building, the firing of a gun by him
produced not the slightest effect on the trout, who rose
freely during the experiment to flies blown towards them
through a tube. I am therefore convinced that no sound
is injurious which does not communicate its vibration to
the water, such as conversation; but concussion upon tJie
side or bottom of a boat, or jumping from rock to rock,
or blows upon a hard bottom with the wading-staff or
with hobnailed shoes, I think are so conveyed through
and by the water, as to be in some measure perceptible
to the fish, and alarm them.

That fish possess the sense of hearing, their anatomi-
cal structure goes far to prove, while that they are not
insensible to sounds produced in the air must be admit-
ted, unless the doubter is prepared to call in question
the numerous accounts by alleged eye-witnesses of their
coming to be fed at the sound of a bell, etc. This I,
for one, hesitate to do, notwithstanding I have never
been able to make a sound in the air which seemed to
produce the slightest effect on trout in the water — to
which fish my experiments have been confined. It may,
however, well be that the sound was perceived, while the
fish were so habituated to the roar of the water -fall
and similar noises, without any ill consequences ensuing,
that sound alone was not regarded by them as an indica-
tion of danger.

To what extent the power of vision is developed in

_ Flies and Fly-fishing. 881 ,

trout remains to be considered. T^o the angler it is a
question second in importance to none, since upon its
answer depends a more or less perfect solution of the
problem — how may the necessary connection between
his line and his fly be best disguised?

Every angler has heard, or taken part in, discussion of
the best color for leaders; and if it be permissible to judge
of the experience of others from my own, the result has
been an expression of doubt by one as to whether the
color makes much difference, and a more or less ready
assent to this on the part of the others. Never has the
writer met any definite opinion on this subject based
upon anything more solid than a guess.

As in past years, so every evening of September, 1883,
a band of anglers from many distant cities and States
gathered around the camp-fire at Parmacheene Lake, in
Maine, several of them artists in the use of the fly-rod,
and true sportsmen all ; and when the power of vision of
trout and the best color for leaders came up again and
again for discussion, and always with the same negative
result, I determined that before the next season I would
devise some method, if not to settle, at least to throw
some light on this question.

In what manner and with what apparatus my experi-
ments should be conducted, was the subject of grave
consideration. It would certainly appear at the first
blush that to immerse the eye beneath the water and
then to look upwards was the surest and most direct way
to determine how a leader would appear to the trout, for
thus the natural conditions would seem to be exactly re-
produced. But a moment's reflection shakes this opin-
ion. We all know how sensitive is the human eye to
any foreign body, and how instantly the slightest irrita-

882 Fly-Tods and Fly-tackle,

tion of the exterior affects the action of the muscles
which control the focuBsing power of the lens ^'^ithin^
and whose office it is to form the image upon the retina.
We also know that, unless these muscles duly perform
their appointed duty, the eye is as powerless to convey
to the brain a truthful image as is a telescope, the dif-
ferent lenses of which have not been relatively adjusted
to distinct vision. We have all, either in frolic or from
necessity, tried to see through a pair of spectacles to-
tally unsuited to our eyes, and we all know the result.
Again, though the mechanism of the eye work perfectly,
still so intimate is the relation of its various parts, so
profound their sympathy one with the other, that the
power of the retina to receive and transmit a perfect
image, even were such a one formed upon it, may well
be doubted under such circumstances.

A gentleman well known in angling circles, and an ac-
knowledged authority, when spoken to of the intended
experiments, said that it was all useless ; that he had
tried it when in swimming; that everything appeared
black, and that I would be able to see nothing. Subse-
quently another gentleman tried submerging himself
below the surface of the water, and passing gut of dif-
ferent colors before his eyes. He found very dark gut
alone was visible, and that only at a distance of twelve
or fifteen inches. It is clear, therefore, that in the un-
usual conditions in which the eyes of the gentleman first
mentioned were then placed, they refused to act at all;
and that the same was the case in the other instance,
though in less degree, and that the same will be the case
with every one's eyes to a greater or less degree, under**
such unusual conditions, I cannot doubt. The gentleman
last named could distinguish only very dark gut, and at a

Flies and Fly-fishing. 888

distance of twelve or fifteen inches. It is absolutely cer-
tain that had his eyes acted in the normal manner, noth-
ing could prevent the formation of a perceptible image,
except the absorption of the light proceeding from the
object by the water. As the water was clear, it is obvi-
ous that a stratum of twelve or fifteen inches was quite
inadequate to produce that result, since the bottom can
be distinctly seen in only moderately clear water at a
much greater depth.

That the eye of the trout is different from ours is a
frequent remark. That it is different in size and differ-
ent in color is true ; but that it is different in function,
different in its relation to the reflection and refraction
of light, is a mere supposition, resting, I believe, as at
present advised, upon no foundation whatever. It may
be more sensitive to light than ours ; it may render ob-
jects visible to them through a stratum of water which
would totally obscure them to us. But even this I know
no reason to believe, notwithstanding the fact that will
here occur to every one of the incessant rise of trout
long after the shades of evening have fallen, and after a
fly can no longer be distinguished by us upon the water.
The difference of background towards which they look
sufficiently accounts for this to my mind.

It may be that some of the rays composing the beam
of light which are incompetent to excite vision in us,
and of the presence of which we only become aware
as they evidence their existence by heat or chemical
action, may be visible to them ; but if we are prepared
to grant this, and I for one can see no reason so to
do, it but prolongs the spectrum in one or both direc-
tions. It is too improbable even for mere surmise, in
absence of direct proof, that they can see both ends of

884 FVy-Tods a/nd Fly4ackle.

the spectrum while the middle is to them a blank ; their
every action in reference to the color of flies negatives
this.

The eye, whether of fish or flesh, is but a lens re-
fracting rays of light, and converging them to form a
picture on a screen — ^the retina. In this respect, and as
far as the mechanical principles of construction are con-
cerned, it has its exact counterpart in the camera of the
photographer.

Light is light, and by its aid all animated bein^ see,
and in its absence all alike are blind. The laws of nat-
ure operate equally and invariably both above and be-
neath the water; and until it is demonstrated to be
otherwise, I cannot think that trout see in any different
manner, or by different means than do we. There is
probably a difference in degree, but I cannot believe in
kind.

Nor is this a matter of mere surmise unsupported by
evidence. The eye, whether of fish, flesh, or fowl, up to
the point where the image is formed upon the retina, is a
mere mechanical arrangement, the effect of which upon
light any good optician can compute. That a mechanical
arrangement is framed by the hand of Nature instead of
by that of man, is sufficient to induce many to believe,
and some to insist, that therefore its function must dif-
fer in some mysterious and abnormal manner, and un-
bridled license is given to the imagination. In this spirit
the extent of the visual powers of fish is not unf requent-
ly discussed.

But in point of fact a lever is a lever, whether it be a
crow-bar in the hands of a quarrjrman, a fly-rod wielded
by an angler, or a bone in a horae's leg ; and the action
of a lens upon light is but the action of a lens, whether

Flies and Fly-jishiiig. 885

it be located in the living eye, or shaped and placed by
man to form the object-glass of a telescope. In each
and every similar case the same fixed laws determine
the effect which will be produced.

The human eye, if in its normal condition, gives dis-
tinct vision of objects, whether distant or close at hand,
and this not by any mysterious function of the retina, or
the nerves which convey the impression to the brain, or
of the brain itself, but by a simple mechanical adjustment
of the lens which forms the image. If the rays of light
proceed from a distant object, they strike the lens when
substantially parallel, and it has nothing to do but to
converge them to a focus. If, however, they proceed
from an object close at hand, they then strike the lens
while diverging, and must first be made parallel, and
afterwards converged to a focus, before a distinct image
can be formed. Obviously, then, the focal point in the
second case will be farther from the lens than in that
first given. In the telescope this is adjusted by varying
the distance between the object-glass and the eye-piece,
while in the human eye an involuntary alteration of the
convexity of its lens accomplishes that result. Unless
this adjustment is possible, the human eye cannot and
does not give distinct vision at all distances. It is not
possible in all individuals, and then near-sightedness or
far-sightedness follows — ^the aid of a compensating lens
is required to perform this adjustment, and spectacles
must be employed. If the anatomy of the human eye
teaches this, and it is beyond question that it does, an
examination of the structure of the trout's eye should
give at least some indication of its powers.

The lens of the human eye has the ordinary lens form,
and is a little more convex on the inner than on the
25

886 Fly-rods and Fly4acUe.

outer side ; and by a contraction or expansion of its di-
ameter, thus changing its convexity and consequently its
refracting power, does it adapt itself when in health al-
ways to form its focus — or, in other words, to produce a
distinct image — at the same point, the retina.

Does the eye of the trout possess this or any equiva-
lent property ? It does not. The lens is as spherical as
a buck-shot, and of a consistency so indurated as appar-
ently to preclude the possibility of any change of form.
Therefore, it seems to me trout must necessarily be quite
near-sighted, and consequently lack the power to distin-
guish details of form except within very narrow limits.
And it is believed that this defect in vision extends more
or less to all fishes ; for though I have myself dissected
the eye of the trout and one other variety of fish only,
still the treatises on comparative anatomy lead me to
believe that the eyes of all are constructed in substan-
tially the same manner.

All this was believed to be quite true when written
some years ago. It is still believed to be quite true.
But the inferences which then might reasonably be
drawn from these facts, now require reconsideration
and limitation. We live and learn. The researches of
Beers have since shown that the eyes of fishes do pos-
sess an adapubility which gives distinct vision at all
distances. This is not accomplished by change in the
convexity of the image-forming lens, as in man and the
land vertebrates generally, since that lens in the fish is
so indurated as to preclude such change. It is another
illustration of the truth of the old proverb, ^' There is
more than one way to skin a cat," and is accomplished
by moving the lens itself bodily from or towards the
retina, as circumstances may require. Thus the fish's

(

Flies and Fty-fiahing. 88*

eye is identical with the photographic camera in its
mode of adjustment to distance, except that m the
camera a sharp image is obtained by moving the plate-
holder (the retina) nearer to or farther from the lens,
whereas in the fish's eye the retina remains stationary,
and it is the lens itself which is moved. The conclusion
seems necessarily to follow from Beers's researches that
the vision of fishes is not so defective as anatomy and
optics had led us to suppose. Still we must not run to
the other extreme. The very great difference in the
transparency to light of air and water must by no
means be overlooked, a difference accentuated by the
suspended matter which unfiltered water always con-
tains in considerable quantity. If this important factor
is given due weight, it would still seem that the vision
of fishes is quite limited, and must vary markedly with
the optical purity of the water in which they are found.

Is not the action of trout towards the artificial fly just
what this would lead us to expect ? Place the natural
insect and its artificial copy side by side, and is the re-
semblance sufiiciently close to deceive the human eye for
a single moment? Though in color they may be ap-
proximately similar — as to form, only the eye of char-
ity can detect a resemblance. In no element is the
struggle for life so bitter. To eat others and to avoid
being eaten are the sole occupations of the greater part
of a fish's life. Constant vigilance against the approach
of their many enemies is with them the price of life;
therefore, nothing terrifies them so much as motion, and
all the more since their imperfect vision fails accurately
to apprise them whether the moving body is friend or foe.

The foregoing applies to leaders as well as to any
other moving object; and since at some point between

388 Fly-Tods and Fly4<ickle.

that at which the fly is first perceived and the fly itself,
the leader mast come within the range of distinct vision,
the advisability of concealing it as much as possible can-
not be questioned.

Trae, at times the desire to eat preponderates over the
fear of being eaten, and then anybody can catch trout in
almost any manner that appeals to their appetite. But
the art of fly-fishing is to outwit the fish when in their
ordinary mood of distrust, not for the angler to wait
until they are driven to desperation by the pangs of
hunger. To take one trout with the fly under adverse
circumstances, gives more pleasure to the true angler
than to derrick out a tubful at the rate of one every
ten second 8.

The prudent man, when about to tempt fortune, pre-
pares himself to meet the worst, well knowing that re-
sources adequate to that will enable him to triumph over
lesser evUs. So with the true angler. He takes it for
granted that the fish will be timid and disinclined to
feed, and prepares his tackle to meet such contingencies.
Then the color and thickness of the leader may be of
importance, and to determine if possible to what extent
the following experiments were tried.

On reflection it seemed that while the leader should
be inspected from the same direction, and against the
same background as when viewed by the trout, that this
must be done with the eye without the water, and that
with properly constructed apparatus this could be accom-
plished and reliable results be obtained. A water-tight
box was therefore made, twenty-eight inches long, and
six inches wide, and four inches in the remaining direc-
tion, all inside measurements. One end was closed with
a thick glass plate, while the other was left open. It was

FTAes cmd Fly-JUhmg, 889

painted a dark mud color within. A frame was provided
in whioh the box conld swing like a cannon on its trunn-
ions, and so arranged that though the normal position of
the box was perpendicular, with the glass below and the
open end above, yet it could be inclined, and the upper
end directed to any part of the sky.

For the purpose of experiment, uncolored, two shades
of coffee-colored, and three shades of mist-colored (cop-
peras and logwood dyed) leaders were procured, also
three samples of No. 4 enamelled water- proofed line,
yellowish, greenish, and brownish in color.

The box was filled with water, the samples moved
about upon, or beneath the surface, while the writer,
with his head and the glass end of the box wrapped in a
dark cloth, like a photographer, directed the apparatus
towards the sky and noted the results.

Prom viewing the under surface of a body of water
contained in an aquarium through the lower portion of
its glass sides, it was expected that the under surface of
the water in the box or tube might look like a mirror,
and vision of anything above the surface be cut off.
Such was not the case. Objects above the surface could
be seen distinctly as through a glass window.

The variously colored leaders were all alike conspicu-
ous to a surprising degree, so much so as to cause won-
der that a fish should ever rise to anything connected
with them, and this whether above, on, or below the sur-
face. It seemed as though the coffee-colored leader was
the most visible, but otherwise one could not be told from
the other, all difference of color seeming to be lost. Then
some drawn mist-colored leader was tried, quite dark in
tint and as fine as a hair. Though about as plain to
sight as a pencil-mark on white paper, yet it was ap'

890 Fl/y-rods a/nd FVy-UuMe.

parent that its small diameter made a great difference
in its favor.

During all this the idea was gradually gathering force
that these experiments only tended to show how the ob>
ject appeared when viewed by a fish lying directly be-
neath it ; and upon trying some flies, and finding that
only with difficulty could the most gaudy be distinguished
from those sober in color, the box was dropped, and light
sought in another direction.

A bath - tub of considerable size, its length facing a
window and the sky, was filled with water to the depth
of fourteen inches. Two mirrors were submerged in the
water, one at each end of the tub, and so inclined that
by looking down upon them the reflected image of any-
thing in or upon the water could readily be seen. A
joint from a rod was used to manipulate the leader to be
experimented with, and by moving it to and fro in the
water, it could be viewed at almost any degree of ob-
liquity.

Here, again, the results were a surprise. Though I
have habitually used a colored leader, still I had supposed
color was of questionable utility. Such seemed not to be
the case. The coffee color was still the most conspicu-
ous, but it was but little more so than the natural-colored
gut, which latter, in all positions and angles, looked like
a streak of silver. The mist-colored leaders, in some posi-
tions, had the same appearance, but always it seemed in
a less degree; while at times, and at certain angles and
directions of motion with reference to the light, they
seemed more or less to disappear. The darkest tinted, a
decided azure, gave the best result. I was unable to de-
termine with satisfactory certainty in what positions in
reference to light, etc., this partial or total disappearance

Flies a/nd Fly-Jiahmg. 891

took place. It oertainly did seem that whea the leader
was moved towards the light it shone the most, and by
the refraction of transmitted light, and I attributed the
better result given by the darker leader to its greater ^
opacity to such light. A piece of iron binding - wire,
black in color, and of course totally opaque, and of about
the same diameter as the leaders, was, however, plainly
visible in all positions, though not more so than upcol-
ored gut. Indeed I incline to think that at all times the
least conspicuous leader that can be made may be plainly
seen from some directions, while at the same time invisi-
ble from others.

Here, again, I was impressed by the great difference
in result caused by varying the diameter. This dimen-
sion appears in the water to be much enlarged, and my
experiments are emphatic as to the utility of fine tackle.
This was demonstrated beyond question by the drawn
gut, i.6., gut drawn through a plate, which, as before
stated, was quite dark in color and hair-fine.

The various samples of line were all equally visible —
^^ plain as a pikestaff" — and not the slightest difference
in favor of one over the other could be detected.

It is to be understood that the appearances described
are those shown by reflection in the mirrors, also that all
the gut used was of the same diameter.

But these experiments, conducted in-doors as they nec-
essarily were, and therefore with the light coming from
but one direction, were not satisfactory.

A tin-liued tank was therefore constructed, five feet
long, fourteen inches wide, and fourteen and a half inches
deep, measured on the inside. Where the bottom met
one end, the wood was cut away to form an aperture
three inches high and the width of the tank, and a plate

802 Fly-Tods and Fly4ackle,

of glass was insertedy incliniDg slightly inward from the
perpendicular. The tank was painted a dark slate color
without and within. It closely resembled a coffin with
parallel sides, and its advent excited considerable inter-
est both in the neighborhood and in the household itself,
since it was delivered in my absence, and I had thought-
lessly omitted to give any intimation of its expected ar-
rival A stand was also provided, which, when the tank
was placed upon it, raised its bottom about three and
a half feet from the ground.

The whole apparatus was set up in the back-yard, dis-
tant forty feet from the house, which bore nearly east
from it. To the westward the nearest building was about
one hundred and twenty feet distant, while to the north
and south there were none nearer than several hundred
feet. Thus the tank was located as nearly as possible in
the middle of the space enclosed within an ordinary city
block of houses, and perfectly open to the sky. Its length
lay nearly north and south. From about half- past eight
oVlock in the morning until about five o'clock in the af-
ternoon it was unshaded from the sun.

Having filled the tank with water, the first problem
attacked was to determine how trout see objects above
the water. That they were able so to do I had oden
seen demonstrated, not always to my entire satisfaction.

As heretofore Intimated, if any one will look through
one of the side glasses of an ordinary aquarium, and up-
ward towards the surface of the water, they will find that
surface to resemble polished silver, and to be totally
opaque to vision. Objects lying above it are as invisible
as though a stone wall intervened. Or the experiment
may be more conveniently tiied with one of those thin
uncut glass tunoblers now in fashion. Half fill one with

FUes cmd Fly-fishmg. 898

water, and stand a spoon in it. When held above the
eye and viewed at any angle through the sides, the de-
scribed appearance of the surface and the utter invisi-
bility of that portion of the spoon uncovered by the
water will be noted. But when viewed directly through
the bottom, the surface will then appear transparent, and
objects beyond it can easily be seen.

Enveloping my head and the glass with a black cloth,
that no light might enter from below (a course invari-
ably followed in all my experiments with this tank), I
carefully examined the surface of the water. It ap-
peared perfectly opaque, until happening to cast my
eyes directly upward, I saw a clear and transparent
space bounded on one side by the end of the tank, and
on the other by a curved line strongly fringed with
prismatic color. In this clear space the windows of
houses, distant two hundred feet and more, could readily
be seen, clothed, as was every object visible within it,
with all the colors of the rainbow. This unexpected
appearance of color seemed to discredit the directions
of the books that the clothing of the angler should be
sober in hue, since no matter how quiet his clothing, it
appeared he must look to the fish as though arrayed like
Solomon in all his glory. But subsequent reflection con-
vinced me that this phenomenon was due to a lack of
parallelism between the surfaces of the glass and of the
water. This gave to the body of water through which
the object was viewed the form of a truncated prism,
to the well-known action of which upon light I attribute
the presence of the colors.

The transition from that portion of the surface which
was transparent to that which was opaque, was quite
abrupt. With thirteen inches depth of water, the curved

Fh/^tods a/nd Fly4(MMe.

boundary line was part of a circle having a diameter of
twenty inches. The diameter of this circle for any
depth of water may readily be compated by the follow-
ing proportion: Assuming five feet to be the required
depdi, for the pnrpose of illnstration ; then 13 : 20 : : 60
(five feet reduced to inches) : to answer, 92^ inches, or
nearly eight feet. These measurements, though not sci-
entifically accurate, are within a fraction of an inch of
the truth, and therefore sufficiently near for practical
purposes.

The following diagram, in which the relative propor-
tions are carefully preserved, embodies the foregoing.

Fig. 88.

A represents the tank ; B the glass ; C the water-level
at the time ; and D the position of the division between
the transparent and the opaque portions of the surface.

The effort was next made to determine how far above

Flies cmd Fly-fishmg. 896

the surface of the water an object must be at a given
distance, to render it visible within the circle ; or in
other words, to determine the limits within which refrac-
tion would produce this result. For this purpose a red
.rag was used. It was placed on the water-level at the
extreme end of the tank, thus being five feet (accurately
four feet ten and a half inches) from the observer. It
was then slowly raised, as nearly as possible perpendicu-
larly, till it began to appear within the edge of the trans-
parent circle. This took place at an elevation of five
inches from the surface; whence I conclude that anything
over ten inches above the surface for every ten feet of
distance, will be visible.

Herein we find the reason why experience has shown
the advantage of wading over fishing from the bank;
or when fishing from a boat, that it is better to cast sit-
ting rather than standing.

Though theoretically we all know that an object seen
within this circle cannot appear in its true position, still
perhaps it is not generally realized how extensive this
apparent displacement really is.

In the preceding illustration E represents the actual
position, and F the position of the red rag as it ap-
peared to me during the preceding experiment. As
the body seen approaches more and more nearly to a
position immediately above the trout, this apparent dis-
placement uniformly diminishes in extent, until, when
on the perpendicular, it ceases altogether and the body
appears in its true position, since there is then no refrac-
tion at all.

We have all cast in vain upon unrufiled waters, and
prayed for a ripple, and we have all noticed the marked
change of luck which followed its advent. The reason

396 Fly^ods a/nd Fty-tdckle.

of this was apparent at once. For on disturbing the sar-
face of the water in the tank, even though but little, the
tran8|>areut place at once disappeared, and the surface
became entirely opaque throughout, thus completely cut-
ting off all vision of any object above it. Since this
made little or no difference in the visibility of fly or
leader when in actual contact with the water, I cannot
doubt that the result in question is due to the cause
assigned. It would therefore appear that when the water
is roughened by a breeze, the angler may, without disad-
vantage, consult his convenience as to whether he will
wade or stand when casting ; also that when the ripple
is local, that it is advisable, other things being equal, to
cast into it, even though its area be quite limited.

The shadow of a moving fly-rod was distinctly and
conspicuously visible through the glass and water, as a
dark streak moving upon the surface, and this whether
the latter was smooth or roughened.

It would require undue space, and be but confusing
to the reader, should I separately detail each experiment
on the visibility of leaders, extending as they did over
months, and including almost every hour of the day and
condition of sky. I therefore merely describe how my
experiments were conducted, and the conclusions deduced
therefrom.

At first the tank was painted dark slate color within
and without ; subsequently the interior was changed to
a mud color, formed by a mixture of brown and green
paint. For some time different colored leaders were
tested and compared in pairs. Each was weighted, and
suspended perpendicularly in the water by an assistant at
the farther end of the tank. They were then gradually
brought nearer the observer until one became visible, if

Flies cmd Fly-fishing. 897

neither could be seen before, and the distance noted with
such remarks as seemed appropriate. Then they were
moved to and fro upon the surface of the water, and the
relative excellence of each written down.

Subsequently a square brass frame was constructed,
corresponding in size to the cross section of the interior
of the tank. Each end of the upper edge was provided
with an extension, which rested on the upper edge of the
tank and retained the frame where placed. Across this
frame silkworm gut of various colors was stretched, like
the bars of a gridiron. This frame, bearing the gut to be
tested, was at first placed perpendicularly in the tank and
parallel with the ends, and the visibility of each strand
was noted. Then it was moved six inches nearei'to the
observer, and the result again recorded; and so on, mov-
ing the frame but six inches at each step, until all could be
plainly seen. The frame was th^n returned to the start-
ing-point, and the lower end raised until it was about
two inches below the surface of the water, in which
position it was secured by a wire hook. The frame was
then supported upon the extensions to its upper edge,
which rested on the rim of the tank, and the wire hook
sustaining the lower edge. Since the upper edge was
above the surface of the water and quite close to it, it
was invisible, and the various strands of gut appeared to
enter the water and lie at quite an acute angle with it.
The intention was to reproduce as nearly as possible the
position ordinarily assumed by that portion of a leader
to which the tail-fly is attached. Ten different colored
strands were stretched upon this frame and compared,
viz. : black, dirty olive-green, pea-green, dark, medium,
and light neutral tint (copperas and logwood), ink-dye,
darker and lighter coffee colored, and uncolored. The

898 Fly-rods cmd Fhf4aclde,

tank was filled with Ridgewood water (Brooklyn, New
. York), which was quite clear. Subsequently this was
browned with a concentrated and filtered decoction of
coffee, and finally milk was added to give the turbidity
of roily water, such as is seen upon the subsidence of
a stream after a freshet.

I deduce from my experiments the following conclu-
sions : All leaders are visible when directly over the fish,
and in a degree entirely irrespective of their color. Here
diameter alone affects the result. This dimension always
appears to be much enlarged when the leader is in con-
tact with, or below the surface ; and if it is at all ad-
vantageous to conceal the connection between the fly
and the line, the thinnest practicable gut should be em-
ployed.

Except at twilight, all leaders, when viewed obliquely
through clear water, are visible through a stratum of
two feet or less, but the color makes considerable dif-
ference in their obtrusiveness.

Whether the water is shaded or not affects these re-
sults but slightly, and the same may be said of a gloomy
or lowering sky.

The under side of the surface forms the background
against which the leader is viewed, and as it contrasts or
harmonizes with the apparent color of this, so is it more
or less conspicuous. On the surface the bottom is re-
flected, and its color modifies, in a degree diminishing
as the depth increases, that received from the sky.

With clear water the following results were obtained:
A dark leader, irrespective of its color, should not be
used. The black gut was invariably the first that came
into sight, closely followed by dark olive - green and a
dark neutral tint. At any . time of the day, and with

Fliea and Fly-fishing. 3d9

any light, the black could always be seen through a
stratum of water which utterly eclipsed the lighter tints;
and this was equally true of the olive-green and dark
neutral tint, except that in the twilight they appeared to
less disadvantage.

When the rays of the sun fell perpendicularly upon
the water, or nearly so, say from ten to three o'clock,
nothing gave a better general result than uncolored gut.
True, occasionally it shone like silver, and then nothing
could be plainer ; but this did not take place in all po-
sitions, and except at such times it had a decided advan-
tage over the others, and even at its worst it was at no
great disadvantage.

He who will devise means to destroy the glitter of
the surface of gut will deserve the thanks of the angling
fraternity. I regret circumstances have prevented me
from trying Mr. Fred Mather's method of applying the
juice of the milk- weed for this purpose.

The fact that the sun was obscured did not seem to
destroy the advantage of the uncolored gut between the
hours mentioned ; but, except with a rain sky, at other
times uncolored gut was far inferior to all the others ex-
cept the black ; indeed it was at times difficult to say
which of the two was the most obtrusive, both being visi-
ble the entire length of the tank.

I can attribute the difference in the appearance of un-
colored gut to nothing but the direction in which the
light falls on the water. When the sun is perpendicular
or approximately so, it seems to be at its best; while as
the rays fall more and more obliquely on the water, it
becomes more and more conspicuous,

A light coffee color (obtained by infusing the gut in a
strong decoction made by boiling red onion-skins in wa-

400 Fly-rods wild Fly-iaclde.

ter) almost equalled the ancolored gat at its best, while
apparently far less dependent on the direction of the light.
For general use at all times, particularly over a light-col-
ored bottom, I incline to think it one of the best of oolorsw

If however, leaders of but one color are to be used at
all times, unquestionably that color should be a light
shade of ink - dye — that given by " Arnold's Writing-
fluid " diluted with an equal quantity of water.

This always and at all times gave a good result, while
it took the first place in merit oftener than any other
one color. Over a neutral tint (copperas and logwood)
of as nearly as possible the same shade, it had quite a
decided advantage. It was at its worst in the middle of
the day.

A pea -green strand also gave an excellent average-.
Though it could at times be seen when some of the oth-
ers could not, it was never obtrusive. I believe this
would have given better results had it been a shade or
two lighter in tint. For meadow-brook fishing it should
be excellent — perhaps unequalled.

The preceding comparisons of the various colors re-
late solely to clear water.

A change in the color of the water was followed by
altogether different results. A very strong decoction of
coffee was prepared ; it was then further concentrated
by protracted boiling, and finally filtered through paper.
This was added to and mixed with the water, until I
thought it as brown as any bog trout-stream I had ever
seen. The color, as seen in the tank, was quite marked,
while in a clear tumbler a faint tinge of brown was just
noticeable. I have done considerable fly-fishing in such
waters, and no pains were spared to reproduce the natu-
ral color faithfully.

Flies amd Fly-fishing. 401

The results obtained on the clear water were here re-
versed. All the lighter colored leaders were at a decided
disadvantage, the nncolored gut being the most visible,
while the black was least so, and this irrespective of the
time of day, and sun or shade. The dark olive and dark-
er neutral tint gave almost, but not quite, as good results,
and in the order named. No leader could be seen through
more than three and a half feet of water. The uncolored
gut was invariably the first to appear, closely followed
by both of the coffee-colored. 1 had supposed the latter
would prove excellent in brown water, but such was by
no means the case, since at all times and under all cir-
cumstances these were nearly as objectionable as the un-
colored, and far more so than the other light colors. The
pea-green was the next to appear. The ink-dyed leader
gave very fair results, but still inferior to darker shades.
The fact that the uncolored leader could always be seen
at more than double the distance at which the black first
began to be visible, illustrates the relative merits of the
two.

Here also may probably be found the reason why large
and brighter colored flies are required in such waters.
Having completed my experiments with the browned
water, it was next rendered turbid by adding a little
milk. To imitate the condition of a stream on the subsi-
dence of a freshet, and when its water had begun to clear,
though still perceptibly roily, was the object in view.
This, as far as the eye could determine, was successfully
accomplished, yet no leader could be seen through more
than eight inches of the water, even at noonday and with
an unclouded sky.

Nothing surprised me more than the difference in ob-
trusiveness shown by different specimens, so nearly alike
26

402 Fly-Tods amd Fly4acJde.

in shade and color in the air as to require careful in-
spection to distinguish between them. This. was marked
in comparing the ink-dye and the lighter neutral tint
(copperas and logwood). The intensity of color in both
was almost exactly equal, while the neutral tint was
somewhat duller on the surface. For this reason I had
always supposed the latter to be less obtmsiyey but I
cannot doubt I was mistaken. I was the more pleased
with this result, since to obtain the ink-dye color the gut
can be dyed cold, and with less trouble and less loss of
strength than where copperas or heat is required. The
relative merits of the two can be judged from the fact
that sometimes the neutral tint was visible through a
foot more water than the other.

For years events have been gradually forcing me to-
wards the opinion that success in fly-fishing (particularly
where the fish were educated to the angler's wiles), de-
pended as much upon concealing the connection between
the line and the fly as upon any other one thing. We
have all cast, time and time again, without a rise, where
we knew the fly was seen by trout every time it touched
the water. We have then changed and changed our cast,
yet all in vain. We have all seen a trout rise to the fly,
approach it closely, and then turn from it, and revert
whence he came. Under these trying circumstances per-
mit me to suggest that after the cast has been varied a
reasonable number of times without success, that the
leader be changed to one of a different color. I feel con-
fident that in many cases this will solve the difficulty.

For the guidance of the beginner I suggest the follow-
ing rules, based on what I believe to be the teachings of
the preceding experiments. Provide yourself at least
with uncolored and ink-dyed leaders, some of light lint,

Flies amd Fly-fishing. 403

and some very dark ; and if a meadow-stroam is to be
fished, or water in which an appreciable quantity of green
floating matter is present, then with green leaders as
well. Under the latter conditions begin and end with
the green leader, unless lack of success indicate that a
change is advisable or will make no difference.

If the water appears brown - colored use your darkest
colored leader at all hours. To produce this the ink may
be used undiluted, for you need not fear to get it too
dark.

Under ordinary conditions of clear water, commence
with a lighter ink-dyed, varying to the uncolored about
half-past ten in the forenoon, and returning to the first
from three to four o'clock.

If trout are present, and persistently refuse to rise after
changing your cast a reasonable number of times, vary
the color of the leader, no matter what it may have been.
Finally, be not deceived by the way the leader appears
as you look down upon it, for this gives little or no indi-
cation of its visibility when viewed from underneath.

Nine varieties of enamelled water - proofed line were
tested, viz.: light pea-green, Paris-green with black spiral
thread, light green with a brown spiral thread, translu-
cent with reddish-brown thread in close spirals, white and
brown in equal proportions, translucent with green and
red spiral thread, white with black spirals, white with
black threads in diamond pattern, and white with brown
threads in diamond pattern. All these were quite visi-
ble. The least obtrusive was a line which seemed to
have been braided from white silk with two black threads
passing spirally around it in opposite directions, thus
forming a black diamond-shaped pattern upon the white
ground. The water-proofing had given to the white silk

404 Fly-rods omd Fly-tdcUe.

a translucent color of a faint, dull, greenish tinge. The
next in order of merit seemed to be the pea-green.

The question is oflen asked from how far below the
surface can a trout see a fly.

To this question I sought an answer from Mr. John W.
Chittenden, one of the most intelligent of that very intel-
ligent class of men, the submarine divers.

I showed him a "fin -fly" (white wing and crimson
body), tied on a hook about a quarter of an inch across
the bend. He said that in clear salt water such a fly
could be seen on the surface from a depth of fifty feet,
and that it would then look larger than it did as he held
it in his hand. He instanced a case where he was work-
ing on a wreck in sjxty-five feet of water, when he easily
read the name on the stern of the wrecking - schooner
floating overhead, as well as the marks on the packing-
cases as they were hoisted over its side, when they were
five feet above the surface of the water. These marks
and letters were about three inches long. He remem-
bered seeing the end of a rope half an inch in diameter
attached to one of those cases as it was hoisted aboard
the wrecking-schooner.

At these deptiis the surface took its color from the sky,
uninfluenced by the bottom, looking white with a white
sky, and dark inky-blue with a blue sky. A surface wind
made no difference in the visibility of objects in the water
or on its surface, but with a heavy ground-swell the water
was sometimes so turbid that objects but a few feet dis-
tant were obscured.

Fresh water was not generally as clear as sea water,
particularly in rivers where there was a current. The
surface, he said, looked very near, so that when he was
at a depth of fifty feet it seemed almost within reach of

Flies and Fly-fahing. 405

his hand. The shadows of moving objects were plainly
visible, whether the surface was smooth or rough. A
clear white or a red could be seen the greatest distance.
When sixty feet below the surface he had read the fine
print of a testament from the cargo of a wreck he was at
work upon.

On one occasion he was at work on an asphaltum bed
at the bottom of Cardenas Bay. The asphaltum was
found between strata of white clay, which it was the
custom to loosen by light blasting, in order to facilitate
the removal of the asphaltum. Worms occurred in this
clay, of which the fishes of the vicinity were very fond.
Holding one of these worms between his fingers, and
stirring up the clay until the water was so turbid that
his hand was quite invisible, he could feel the fishes rub-
bing against his fingera and tugging at this worm. By
what sense they were then guided to their food is an in-
teresting question. That they had become accustomed
to regard this turbidity as a call to dinner, and that there-
after they were directed by smell to their food, suggests
itself as one explanation.

But from whatever depth trout may be able to see a
fly, I have never seen reason to suppose they could be
coaxed to rise to one from the bottom in depths exceed-
ing nine or ten feet. That in clear water they can see it
much farther, particularly if in motion, is probable, even
though the details of its form may be obscure.

But we all know they are peculiar creatures and full
of whims, and one of these seems to be reluctance to
move any great distance for their food. Perhaps experi-
ence has taught them that it, too, is endowed with life,
and that it may be gone before they can reach it. A fact
within the observation and experience of every angler

406 Fly-rods omd Fly-tacJde.

seems to confirrn this view, since we all know that if a
trout rises, and we wish him, the fly should be cast nearly
or quite over him, without touching the water at any in-
termediate point.

But however this may be, one thing seems certain, and
that is, that neither the angler nor the trout are anything
like as acute as is generally supposed. The wiles of the
former are by no means so well concealed, nor are the
latter so very quick to perceive them. The hook, unless
very small, they can always see, and the leader, when
within a foot or two of it. Again and again have I won-
dered during these experiments how was it possible ever
to deceive a fish, so prompt to take alarm, by a humbug
so transparent.

It would seem that the most promising way to ascer-
tain how lines, leaders, and flies appear to the fish, is
that indicated in my preface. To this I call special at-
tention in the hope that, should I fail in the future, as I
have in the past, to carry out this investigation, some
other may do so.

Miaoellaneotcs Suggestions. 407

CHAPTER XL

MiaCBLLANBOUa 8UQ0B8TI0N8,

No method of fly-fishing possesses the charm of wading.
Through scenes where Nature shows her utmost loveli-
ness the trout-stream takes its way, itself a jewel mir-
roring in its bosom every detail of its faultless setting.
Deep shadows, gemmed with specks of sunshine, cover
the water. Stately trees, graceful ferns and flowers, and
mossy rocks line its banks. Every turn of the stream is
a new picture, varied in detail but uniform in beauty —
at once the delight and the despair of the artist. The
cool damp air gives new life and vigor to lungs charged
with the foul vapors of city life, while over all the mur-
mur of the living water proclaims here is peace.

It may happen to the angler to wander far, and cast
his fly upon many waters. But no matter what success
attends his efforts elsewhere, his memory still delights
to linger, above all, on the quiet beauties of those happy
days, when youth and he wandered hand - in - hand to-
gether down the murmuring stream. Not only is it in
every way the most delightful, since every sense is fed,
but it is at the same time the most artistic method of
fly-fishing.

He who thinks to have much sport with the fly at the
expense of the trout of the much fished brooks and
streams of the New England and Middle States, must
bring every resource of his art to bear, and that from a

408 Fly-rods and Fly-iacJde.

well-stocked arsenal. Civilization in its onward march
educates trout as well as men, and many an angler whose
catch in the wilds of Maine is only limited by his de-
sireSy could hardly take enough in the waters first men-
tioned to impart a smell to his creel.

It is not my purpose to tell when, where, and how to
fish these waters, since that has already been fully de-
scribed by no less a master than Thaddeus Norris him-
self, as well as many other and lesser lights of the gentle
art. I frankly admit I can improve in nothing on what
they have said. But some practical hints what to do
that the sport of the present may be unalloyed with in-
jury to the health, and pain in the future, may perhaps
not be amiss.

Firstly, the clothing should be sober gray in color, that
if possible the suspicious game may mistake the motions
of the angler for the waving of some branch of a forest-
tree wooed by the summer wind. Upon the feet low
heavy shoes should be worn, studded on the soles and
heels with a few, and but a few, soft hobnails ; or bet-
ter still, those small round-headed nails sometimes seen
in cowhide boots. As these wear smooth they should be
removed and new ones substituted.

It will be necessary to give your personal attention to
this, for the heart of the average shoemaker is modelled
on his own lapstone. In vain will be your order to
put in but a few, and delusive his promise to comply.
Either he revels in the use of hobnails, or his idea of " a
few" is complied with as long as any portion of the
sole is visible between their heads. It is not alone to
the cohesion of iron with stone that the benefit derived
from the use of hobnails in wading is due, but also to
the interspaces thus formed in the bottom of the sole,

MisceUcmeous Suggestions, 409

engaging with the inequalities of the rocky surface with
which it is brought in contact. If the nails are used in
excess, the shoes then practically become paved with
iron, and the second element of safety is lost. It will
be long before I forget how my thoughts were directed
to this problem.

It was in May, many years ago, in Pennsylvania. The
stream was at that time a strong one, almost too strong
for wading unless great circumspection was used. In
many places it was impassable, wnile elsewhere so dark-
colored was the water, that the use of a graduated wading-
staff was necessary to inform the angler whether he was
venturing into two feet of water or twenty.

That law of nature which makes the most inaccessi-
ble places invariably seem the most desirable in fishing,
tempted me to leap from rock to rock till I was well out
towards one of the deeper parts of the stream. It was
not a difficult job, for the bowlders used as a bridge
were large and not widely separated. At last my goal,
a large flat rock sloping gently downward towards the
desired pool, was before me. My shoes were well paved
with hobnails, rather worn it is true, but not enough to
impair my confidence in them. I stepped upon that rock,
where I proposed to stop. Too late I found its surface
was coated with a gray lichen, indistinguishable from the
natural color of the stone, and more slippery than ice
itself. Slowly and steadily, but with a constantly ac-
celerating velocity, I found myself skating downward
towards the apparently unfathomable pool below, a help-
less victim of misplaced confidence. Then I thought
unutterable things, among the least of^ which were: How
deep was the water below ? — should I be obliged to aban-
don my rod ? — could I get rid of my creel, already quite

410 Fhf^rods a/nd Fly4a(Me.

heavy with fish? — and how much would the watchmaker's
bill be? But before a satisfactory solution to any of
these questions could be reached, the rock came to an end,
or rather I came to the end of it, and dropping over the
brink, stood up to my chin in the inclement pool below.
Before I had walked the three miles which intervened
between the scene of the immersion and my temporary
home, I had given considerable thought to the question
of a secure footing i\j wading. And by the time I had
paid for a new fly -book, and the watchmaker had in-
fused new life into my watch and his demands had been
satisfied, I had absorbed a strong prejudice against hob-
nails. Since then the small round-headed nails before
alluded to have been my dependence in wading, and they
have never played me false.

I have never since, while angling, encountered a rock
so treacherous as that in Pennsylvania, and I believed
it unique until last fall.

John and I were returning from a trip of several days'
duration, having gone north through the woods from
Parmacheene Lake into Canada, then east to the head-
water of Dead River, then down the Seven Pond Valley
to Kennebago Lake, and we were now bound across-lots
back to Parmacheene. Our way had been through an un-
broken forest, a large portion of the time relying on the
compass and sun alone to direct our steps, where no in-
dication showed that white men had ever before set foot.
We had backed our heavy packs to the very summits
of the loftiest peaks of the Boundary Range, and follow-
ing the ridge for miles, had seen stretching away into
space the gap through the otherwise unbroken wilder-
ness which marks the dividing line between Canada and
the United States. More than forty years before, and

Miscellaneous Suggestions. 411

^when the boundary was laid out, a lane two rods wide
was cut through the woods, following the water -shed
which separated the waters flowing into the St. Lawrence
River from those discharging into the Atlantic Ocean.
This was the treaty boundary ; and to-day the old forest
rises on either side of the new and stunted growth which
has filled the gap, as the houses rise on either side of a
city street, nor is the one more clearly marked than the
other. It is not without emotion that one gazes for the
first time on this scar upon the face of nature, otherwise
without a blemish, especially should he chance upon one
of the small cast-iron obelisks which mark it at irregular
intervals, and bear in raised letters the words " National
Boundary-line." Then for the first time he fully realizes
what his surroundings have, till then, seemed utterly to
deny, that civilized man has been there before.

But it was not for this that we had toiled so far, for to
us it lacked the charm of novelty. Our eyes sought and
rested on Megantic, Rush, and Spider Lakes, and the set-
tlements of Canada which fringed the wilderness on the
north; on the Dead River County and the Seven Pond
Valley, an unbroken forest, gemmed with lakes, to the
east; and to the south and west upon a sea of mountains,
range following range like the billows of the ocean, each
range a different color, to where Mt. Washington, and
OwPs Head on Lake Mcmphremagog, lay dim and shad-
owy on the distant horizon.

From the first we had recognized that from Kenneba-
go Lake to Parmacheene would be the most difficult part
of the trip, for it was utterly unknown ground, and many
mountain ranges and one river barred the way. We were
unable to gain any information either as to the distance
to be traversed, or how the natural obstacles could be

412 Fly-rods and, Fly-tackle,

best surmounted ; bo it was with some surprise I heard
John answer an inquiry as to how we were to cross the
river, by saying, in the most off-hand way, we would cross
on the rocks at the Big Falls — a place which it is doubt-
ful if a dozen men in the whole country had ever seen,
and which he himself had visited but once, and then in
winter. However, we took to the woods one morning
before seven o'clock, John with forty-one pounds on his
back and a nine -pound rifle in his hand, and I with
twenty-five pounds in my pack and my tin rod-case, con-
taining two rods, which I used as a staff. We climbed
West Kennebago Mountain two-thirds to its summit —
that mountain over whose perfect cone, so soft and ver-
dant, thousands of anglers on the Rangely Lakes have
raved, yet whose sides we found one mass of crags,
chasms, and windfalls, which, with the heavy grade,
made the most cruel travelling for a loaded man I have
ever seen — and finally, after a forced march, without halt
except for breath, at two o'clock in the afternoon we
heard the welcome roar, and struck out of the woods di-
rectly upon the desired spot. The falls were before us.
Among gigantic bowlders the river foamed and roared in
a series of moderate pitches, interspersed with dark pools,
till a bend some distance below hid it from sight. Wc
had crossed the greater part of the stream without diffi-
culty, when we came to a rock about the size of a two-
story cottage, sloping gently down to a .pool, which
looked uncommonly dark and wet. A ledge about two
feet wide broke the uniform descent a short distance from
the top. John paused, and said, ''These rocks are pretty
slippery. You will probably have no trouble with your
hobnailed shoes, but as I have none, perhaps you had
better hold the rifle while I climb down to the ledge."

MisceUcmeous Suggestions. 413

He did so, and after passing him the rifle I essayed to
follow. It by no means appeared difiicult, but before I
had completed the second step the tin rod-case was clat-
tering down the rock towards the pool, and I, half sitting
and half lying on my pack, was gliding in the same di-
rection. The situation was somewhat serious, for unless
I could get my knapsack off after I was in the water, I
would undoubtedly be drowned like a kitten tied to a
brick. However, John managed to " neck " me as I went
by, and gaining a footing on the ledge, we worked our
way around to a safer descent, rescued the rods, and sat
us down to lunch on the rocks, two very leg- weary men.

We then discussed the hobnail in all its bearings, and
rendered a unanimous verdict in favor of the small round-
headed nails. For when worn at all, the former presents
a flat, polished surface, good perhaps where no safeguard
is required, but worse than useless in a critical place;
while the latter, from the smallness and shape of the
head, are far more prompt to engage with slight inequal-
ities; and, at the same time, the weight being thrown on
so much smaller and sharper surfaces, they will cut
through lichen or dried slime much more readily to the
rock beneath. Therefore they seem to me unquestiona-
bly safer, as they certainly are lighter, and more easily
insetted and replaced.

I am aware that the larger part of the foregoing is
pure digression, and that no proper apology can be found
for its introduction into a book on angling, unless it be
that the incidents occurred during a trip one object of
which was to try unfamiliar waters. Yet I must beg
further indulgence. The merits of that tin rod-case de-
mand recognition. It was simply a piece of ordinary tin
leader of one and a quarter inch bore, closed at the bot-

414 Fly-Tods and Fly-tackle.

torn, and provided with a brass screw cap. A simple linen
rod-bag went with it. Stowing the detached handle in
my pack, two butts, three middle joints, and four or five
tips were placed in this bag, and tied up so they could
not chafe. The tin case readily held the whole. Not
only did I find it a most convenient walking-staff through
over seventy -five miles of foot travel, all of it with a
pack on my back, and much of it without even a sign of
a trail, but also after our return it lay day and night in
our boat, containing spare rods and tips, all of which it
kept perfectly dry and in good order through rain and
shine. The first cost is next to nothing, while its further
superiority over the ordinary bamboo tip-case, in its in-
difference to weather and far greater carrying capacity,
have led me to resolve never to go into the woods again
without one. Nor am I alone in this opinion, for it was
the subject of constant and invariably favorable comment
by many other anglers.

But let us return to the wading-shoes, of which we lost
sight so long ago.

Through the uppers at the instep and close to the soles,
the leather should be pierced three or four times with
the small blade of a penknife, that when the stream is
abandoned for the bank the water may find egress. But
these holes must be small, and made as I have said by
a single small cut with closely adjacent edges, or sand
and gravel will enter, to the great annoyance of the
angler.

The drawers and stockings should be of wool, with-
out the admixture of any cotton whatever. This is of
the first importance to health. The difference in comfort
arising from this cause is wonderful. After the first im-
mersion, with woollen socks and underclothes, the wader

MisceUcmeous Suggestions. 415

will experience no chill in or out of the water, except,
perhaps, a momentary ring of cold when the water rises
to an unaccustomed height. He will hardly know, as far
as any sensation of cold is concerned, whether he is wet
or dry. But if cotton underclothes are worn, or those
with an appreciable admixture of cotton, a chill is expe-
rienced at once on exposure to the slightest wind, or even
on leaving the water when the air is still. This cannot
but be prejudicial to health. Red Shaker flannel is the
best material for this purpose, probably because it is hon-
estly made. I cannot too strongly emphasize this.

Upon reaching the temporary lodging after the day's
sport, the wet clothes should be changed at once, and
the entire body briskly rubbed with a towel ; and this
before eating. Do no^ under any pretext or for any rea-
son whatever, sit round in your wet clothes, but change
at once. Then a little drop of spirits, quite dilute and
perhaps warm, will do no harm. But on the stream and
while wading avoid this by all means, since the difference
in temperature between the upper and lower portions of
the body is already quite sufficient without any artificial
stimulant to increase it. With these precautions I have
never been able to see that wading was at all injurious.

When you remove your wading-shoes, offer an induce-
ment to one of the farm-hands to wash them and give
them a liberal dose of neat's-foot oil. They will then
dry soft, and you will not feel, the next time they are
used, as though you had incased your feet in a burglar-
proof safe.

Some wear rubber wading • stockings ; but unless in
early May, when the chill of winter is hardly off the
water, I think poorly of them. As far as keeping the
wader dry is concerned, they are a delusion; for the

416 Fly-rods and Fly-tackle.

perspiration is so condensed within them by the cold of
the stream, that he who wears them will, at evening, be
quite as wet as he who does not. If, however, t^ey are
preferred, then select those with stocking-feet, and not
those ending in boots, since the former can be turned
entirely wrong side out to dry, which is impossible with
the latter ; the inside will always be found the wetter.
Also choose those of the pantaloon form, since though
the depth be not so great, the water will, when the
wader stands in or forces his way against the current,
boil up against him, and with mere stockings may over-
flow the upper edge and load him up with water. Noth-
ing is more disgusting than this mishap, nor does any-
thing so chill the angler's ardor and demoralize him, as
to be forced to lie on his back on the bank and elevate
his legs in the air to empty his boots. There is then a
natural affinity between the fluid and his backbone, and
along the latter a goodly portion always flows to make
its escape at his collar. But there is to me something
abhorrent in the idea of being stewed in my own juice ;
and though I have them, I have not used rubbers in wad-
ing for years.

If the stream is a strong one and its bottom rough,
use a wading-staff of about your own height. On this
mark two or three rings by removing the bark with a
knife, to serve as some guide from which to judge the
depth of the water. Secure this to a button-hole of your
coat with a string of sufficient length to permit its un-
embarrassed use. Then, when a flsh is fastened and both
hands are needed, it can be dropped, relying on the
string to prevent it from being swept away by the cur-
rent, and to insure its recovery. It will save many a
nasty fall and ducking.

MisceUaneoua Sicggestions. 417

The landing-net for this fishing should be quite small,
of oval form, the bow eight or nine inches wide and a
foot long. The handle need not exceed six inches in
length, and should be provided with a leather tag con-
taining a button-hole, to be attached to a button secured
to the back of the coat just below the collar. This is the
most convenient way to dispose of a very inconvenient
necessity. Rattan makes as good a bow as anything.

When a fish is struck, get him out of the water in
which he was caught as soon as possible, lest the others,
which were probably in his company, take alarm — and
out of the current as well. Play him till quite exhausted,
then reel him in short, drop your wading -staff, and
reach behind and unbutton the net. Then throwing the
tip of the rod backward, slip the net under him quietly,
and lift him out. Next support your rod between your
body and the upper part of your right arm, take the net
in the right hand, and grasp the fish by the gills with
the left. Then tuck your net under your left arm, and
proceed to kill your fish. Never neglect this. It is most
cruel and unsportsmanlike to force them to writhe their
lives slowly away in the creel. This may be instantly
accomplished by striking the head once or twice upon
the butt of the rod ; or the thumb may be placed back
of the head, the forefinger hooked under the upper jaw,
and the head bent sharply over against the back. Death
is instantaneous. Then unhook the fish, replace the net,
retrieve your wading-staff, and try for another.

In wading, keep out of the water all you can, and
never, if it be possible to avoid it, traverse a spot where
trout are likely to lie. Remember there may be some
other angler behind you, and do not spoil his sport be-
cause you may happen to have found none. It by no
27

418 FVy-rods and FVy-tacUe.

means follows, because you were unsuccessful, that the
pool was untenanted; if you plunge through it you may
so alarm the fish that they w^ill refuse to rise for hours.
Not unfrequently gentlemen will be met at a fishing
locality, whose outfit, chosen in ignorance of the pecul-
iarities of that water, is utterly unsuited thereto. To a
brother angler so situated spare freely from your own
superabundance, giving him all possible assistance. Pro-
priety and policy alike forbid that the eager competition
of every-day life should contaminate this sport. Anglers
gather to a fishing centre from the most distant portions
of the country, and scatter again to their homes, carry-
ing with them a fixed opinion of those they may have
happened to meet. The acquaintances and friendships
so formed should recall no recollection other than of
pleasure. That a good name is better than riches is an
old saying, but it still retains the vitality of youth. He
who is selfish in his sports is a marked man, for what
must such a one be in his every-day life? The true
angler governs his conduct towards his fellow-fishermen
by the Golden Rule : " Do unto others as you would
they should do unto you." He who acts otherwise is
unworthy the name. As you become proficient, by no
means forget that you were once a beginner, and to such
ever extend the helping hand.

Every fly-fisherman has his half-dozen or so favorite
flies, chosen because of good service in the past. Perhaps
no two anglers, if asked to name their half-dozen favor-
ites, would altogether agree, unless their preference was
based upon fishing the same locality at the same part of
the season — possibly not even then. But there is one
fly, if it may be so called, which every angler most

MiaceUcmeovs Suggestions. 41d

cordially dislikes, and that is the insect the vernacular
name of which is the moth.

Who has not thought vicious thoughts when, examin-
ing his stock of flies preparatory to his first outing of
a new season, he sees the unsuspected ravages of these
insects upon the contents of his fly-book — his collection
so choice in variety, so excellent in quality at the close
of the preceding season, now wingless, legless, worth-
less? Who has not then asked himself what precau-
tions will prevent a recurrence of this misfortune ? The
solution of this problem must be sought in a life history
of the moth itself.

The Agricultural Department at Washington has in-
vestigated the natural history of many of the pernicious
domestic insects, among them the moth, and has pub-
lished directions how they may best be combated. I'Tie
conclusions, as far as the moth is concerned, may be
summarized in half a dozen words. Keep the eggs out,
and there will be no trouble. Let the eggs in, and
there will be trouble, notwithstanding the presence of
camphor, naphthalene, cedar, or any other supposed pre-
ventive. The eflicacy of these preventives is limited to
repelling the mature insect when seeking a suitable
place to deposit its eggs. If the eggs are once deposited,
they will hatch despite any of these preventives, and
the grub, which alone does the mischief, will devour
whatever suitable food it may find.

The deduction from these observed facts is simple.
First, see to it that no moth eggs are present in the fly-
book when it is put away at the end of the season.
These eggs are not at all adhesive, are spherical, and
about the diameter of a small pin. If each leaf of the
fly-book is separately examined, and every part be well

4d0 Fly-rods and FlytacMe.

dusted with a soft brush if any foreign matter is seen,
the book will be free from moth eggs. It then only
remains to keep the mature moths out so that no fresh
eggs can be laid, and the problem is solved. For years
I have dusted out my fly-books in this manner, and then
immediately tied them up tight in a linen bag, and have
never had any trouble since.

What angler, as he has removed his catch from the
hook, has not again and again said to himself, '^I won-
der how old it is?" and if this is true of the small flsh of
the brook, how much more frequent and earnest must be
the inquiry when the leviathans of the Rangely Lakes
are under observation.

Some there doubtless are, though their number is daily
diminishing, who still question the existence of brook
trout of the size said to inhabit those waters ; but they
are invariably those who have never seen them in the
water, or fresh from it. It is not surprising that one
who regards a two-pound brook trout as a very monster
should stare with incredulity when specimens of ten and
eleven pounds are spoken of, more especially if he be fa-
miliar with the wide discrepancy usual between the esti-
mated and the actual weight of these fish. If he really
knows anything about the subject, and has seen many
such statements as one which fell under my notice a
couple of years ago — ^that a trout eighteen inches long
had been caught in the head-waters of a certain river,
which weighed five and a half pounds after it was dressed
— ^his faith must indeed be quite crushed, and unable to
answer the most trifling call upon it.

There really is a fearful amount of lying — ^honest, not
mendacious lying — ^about the. weight of trout. Let me

Ifiscdlaneovs Stiggestions. 431

urge upon the beginner to provide himself with a spring-
balance at the very outset, and to train his eye and his
tongue by the graduations upon it. However these
things may be, the fact remains unchanged, and it cer-
tainly is a fact, that genuine brook trout of ten and even
eleven pounds weight have been, and may be taken in
the Rangely Lakes — the very same species of trout which
inhabit the mountain streams of New York and Pennsyl-
vania; but it is also true that trout of over nine pounds
weight are quite rarely caught.

On the 30th of September, 1884, one of the Maine Fish
Commissioners netted from a pool on Rangely Stream
nine trout, in the following order and of the following
respective weights in pounds : 1^, 3, 4^, 6^, 6, 7, 7, 7^,
and 4 — total 46 avoirdupois, not guessed, pounds. The
pool in which they were found wai^ small, shallow, and
accessible, and the fish plainly visible ; and it was to
protect them from the wiles of a possible poacher that
they were netted, and conveyed to the larger pool below
the dam. But in the pool last named were then to be
seen fish beside which the largest of those above numer-
ated seemed small. It was the general opinion of those
accustomed to net, weigh, and handle these large trout,
that two of them would each closely approximate to, if
they did not exceed, ten pounds. They were seen by
perhaps a hundred people, myself among the number.

Now how old were these fish, or rather, how many
years does it take for a trout to reach such size ? Some
think a hundred years, some thirty, some ten; but all
admit that their estimate is mere conjecture.

The rate at which trout will gain in weight is univer-
sally admitted to b6 largely a question of food -supply,
influenced somewhat by the depth and quantity of water,

422 Fly-rods a/nd Fly-tacJde.

especially if they are left to provide for themselves. We
all know they are very voracious, and if no limit, except
their own inclination, were placed upon the quantity they
should eat, that they would stuff themselves like pigs.
Many a time has every experienced angler taken trout
on the fly which were gorged with other food. I remem-
ber once thus taking a half-pound trout in a Connecti-
cut stream which was full up to its neck with June bugs.
But if they are at times inordinate feeders, they are
equally proficient as fasters. Mr. Henry Stanley, one of
the Maine Fish Commissioners, once told me the follow-
ing case in point. He had carred a number of large
trout for breeding purposes in October, when he injured
his hand and was forced to go out to the settlements for
medical aid. The consequences of the accident and early
and heavy snows prevented his return till the following
spring, yet he found his captives alive and active, though
all the food they could possibly have had, must have
been the almost infinitesimal quantity which entered be-
tween the slats of the car. True, this was largely dur-
ing the winter, when some suppose trout feed but little.
Take another case occurring in summer. Some years
ago the well-known guide John S. Dan forth, to whom I
have so frequently alluded, had three or four nice large
fish. He was suddenly called away for what he sup-
posed would be but a few days. He had taken the trout
for a special purpose, and wished to save them for the
end in view; so he put them in a small car, and sunk it
in about forty feet of water. He was gone some two
months, and often those unhappy flsh weighed heavily on
his mind. On his return his first step was to raise the
car. He found them rather " lathy," as he expressed it, but
alive and well. Of course they were restored to liberty.

MiaeeUcmeoibs St^gestions, 428

John told me another interesting incident, perhaps
somewhat remote from the matter in hand, but notwith-
standing I cannot omit it. While trapping in November
of 1883, he came actoss a spawning-bed, upon which a
quantity of trout up to a pound weight were still en-
gaged. The water was but about a foot or so in depth,
and was covered with a thin sheet of ice as clear as crys-
tal. He is a natural investigator, as I suppose all real
woodsmen must be. He saw his opportunity, and that
it was too good to be lost. So unslinging his pack, he
stood his rifle against a tree, and fumbling in his pock-
ets, produced a fly and a piece of string. A neighboring
alder-bush supplied a rod, and rigging it up he cast his
fly upon, and drew it across the ice over the trout below.
Again and again they rose with the utmost eagerness,
bumping their little noses against the under surface of
the ice.

Those who rear trout say, that under like conditions
there is considerable individuality in their growth. Seth
Green, in his " Trout Culture '^ (1 870), says with good feed-
ing they will reach one pound in three years ; that they
grow slower in running water than ponds; that the rate
of increase diminishes with age, and puts their average
longevity at twelve to fourteen years. Norris, in his
"American Fish Culture," gives an instance of four
pounds at a little over four years. In a New Jersey
pond the fry placed therein, with the yolk-sack still at-
tached, attained two pounds in three years. In a Long
Island pond trout one year old and five inches long,
grew to eleven inches in their second year, and in their
third to fourteen ounces or a pound (thirteen and a half
to fourteen and a half inches^ about) in weight.

In the spring of U 899, Mr. Edward Thompson, of the

424 Fly-rods and Fly4ackle.

New York State Fish Commission, informed me that he
had hatched trout in Febmary, had kept them in cap-
tivity until April three years thereafter, when the largest
weighed four pounds and ten ounces, while others of
the same hatching, to the number of about one hundred,
weighed three pounds and upward each. Having men-
tioned that he had a number of trout hatched under his
supervision in the spring of 1898, impounded near by,
he kindly offered to show me some and let me see for
myself how they had grown. The next day, May 7,
1899, he submitted thirty of them to my inspection. I
spread them out in a row, selected six as near the aver-
age in point of size as my eye would enable me to judge,
and weighed them on a set of scales graduated to read
to the half -ounce. These scales were of the balance
variety and were carefully adjusted to insure accuracy.
The six weighed one and a half ounces less than three
pounds, though but fourteen months from the ^^%.
These fish had been fed almost wholly on beef hearts.

But all these seem to have been cases of domesticated
trout artificially fed. Some definite knowledge in re-
gard to the growth of wild trout is very desirable. From
the very nature of the case it must vary widely in differ-
ent localities, since the ultimate result is so different;
still it would be well if every angler who had any defi-
nite information on the subject, no matter how restrict-
ed in scope, should make it a matter of record. Ulti-
mately some enthusiast would collate these scattered
facts, and thus and only thus, as far as I can see, can
the desired information be obtained.

That I may practise what I preach, I relate the fol-
lowing incident, one of the pleasantest in my fishing
experience.

MisceUaneoua Stiggestiona. 425

During the latter part of September, 1882, John and
I put eighty trout in a fair-sized pond in North-western
Maine, having neither outlet nor inlet. It was well
stocked with minnows and other trout food, but con-
tained no trout. The water was clear, cool, and quite
deep. Though John says three or four of these trout
would then weigh a pound and a half, my own recollec-
tion is that none exceeded one and a quarter pounds;
we both agree that few, if any of them, weighed less
than one pound. They were all taken in two days and
at one locality, and enougli of them were actually
weighed at the time to preclude all uncertainty in this
respect, except as above stated. On June 1, 1883, we
added thirty-six to their number, the largest of which
weighed just two and a half pounds. I have no mem-
orandum as to the others, though they were actually
weighed at the time, but we agree that not one was of
less than one pound, while the majority approximated
two pounds, some a little more and some a little less
than that weight.

On the morning of September 27, 1884, John sug-
gested we should visit the pond, and see, if possible, how
they were getting on. It was something of a job, since
the distance was considerable, and moreover it would be
necessary to carry a boat quite a portion of the way
through the woods, and that without a trail. Though
whether anything would be accomplished seemed prob-
lematical, since one hundred and thirteen fish in a pond
of that size does not allow very many to the superficial
foot ; still we might find them, and the possibility war-
ranted the effort.

At the expense of considerable perspiration on both
our parts the pond was reached, and while he paddled

426 Flyrods and Fly-iacUe.

around parallel to, and at a short distance from the shore,
I cast towards it. When about one-eighth of the circum-
ference had been passed, we neared a bend where two
white-birch trees had fallen into the water years before.
The smaller branches had disappeared to a great extent,
but the tops projected some distance under the water,
leaving quite a space between them. No sign of a trout
had as yet been seen; but when I cast towards these tops,
a swirl, evidently caus^ by a good-sized fish, followed.
I struck and fastened him, held him for a moment, when
the hook detached and he escaped. It was a bitter dis-
appointment. He was evidently a very nice fish, and the
opportunity so long desired to obtain at least a little
definite information of the rate of growth in these waters,
seemed to have slipped from me at the very moment when
within my grasp. " It's tough, John, but I've lost him."
A deep sigh was the only response, and the canoe, mov-
ing as silently and almost as slowly as the shadow on
the dial, withdrew about fifteen feet, and presented its
broadside to the snags. Believing I had exhausted all
the luck I could reasonably expect in finding one at all,
I cast once with but little hope, and raised nothing ;
again, and the water boiled. This gentleman was evi-
dently in earnest, and I struck him on the instant. At
once the canoe began to withdraw towards the middle of
the pond, while with all the bend which could be put
upon the rod, I supplemented the resistance of the click
by additional friction applied by my fingers to the line
— always giving a little, and but a little, and making him
work for every inch. It was risky — fatal if the hold
was slight — but it was imperative he should not regain
the shelter of the snags. The struggle was protracted
and severe, but at last he swung away from them, and

Miscdkmeoua Suggestions. 427

we had him in clear water. He was a fighter, and for
Bome twenty minutes we played the game of give and
take, till at last he lay exhansted in the landing - net.
The spring-balance was produced — the identical one used
when he was originally taken in his native home — and
the four-pound mark was plainly visible as he hung sus-
pended thereon. It was a male, so we knocked him on
the head.

^' John, do you suppose it is possible we can have struck
that two-and-a-half pounder? It seems incredible that
even then he could have increased a pound and a half in
sixteen months."

John replied, " I hardly think it can be. My recollec-
tion is that fish was a female ; still I am not sure. At
any rate, even if it is, it shows a much quicker growth
than I was prepared for. There were certainly two there,
perhaps there may be more. Let's try again."

Once more the canoe stole up towards the sunken birch-
es. A cast, and nothing came; a second, and the fly was
taken. The same tactics produced a like result, and a fe-
male of three and five-eighths pounds was ours. We re-
stored her to the water.

'* There, John, that will do; let's go home."

But John was not satisfied. He must have just one
look to see if there were others there, and what they were
about. So we approached with caution, and when about
twenty feet from the sunken birches I saw a trout, ap-
parently of the same size as those we had already taken,
swim in among the snags and disappear.

"John, did you see that fish ?"

"No, where? — For Heaven's sake, just look there !"

This form of expression, so unusual for him, and the ap-
parent excitement with which it was uttered, startled me.

428 Fly-rods and Fly-tacTde.

We have seen many sights, and have passed throngh
many scenes together well calculated to stir the most
languid blood, but now, for the first time in our long
intercourse, did the even balance of his mind seem dis-
turbed.

I looked, and upon a sight such as I had never before
seen. 0£P the end of the snags, about two feet below the
surface of the water, and not more than fifteen feet dis-
tant, a school of trout appeared — not three or four, or
even half a dozen, but I believe at least twenty in num-
ber. Through the clear water their great white-edged
fins glistened like silver, and their vivid colors were al-
most as striking as though we had them in our hands,
fresh taken from the water.

For years it had been our constant practice and amuse-
ment for each to estimate the weight of our larger fish
when they rose, during their struggle for life, and finally
when ready for the net; and then at last to compare our
estimates with the indications of the spring-balance, to
see who had most nearly approached the truth. We had
thus acquired no little proficiency in this respect, and a
close coincidence between the real weight and that as
finally estimated was almost invariable.

Unless we were deceived, not a single fish was in that
school which did not exceed two and a half pounds in
weight. Some, though we could hardly believe our own
eyes, we could not place at less than five, while four-
pounders were plenty.

Almost breathless we watched them slowly cruising
about, apparently with utter indifference to the canoe,
now not five feet from them.

I could not stand it. '^ John, I must have just one
more out of that crowd,'^ And so the canoe was with-

Mi8ceUaneou8 Suggestions. 429

drawn, and a cast or two fastened a male trout of three
pounds, which we returned to the water.

There was one lady in camp, the only one, who had
accompanied her husband into the woods now for the
third season. He was a valued friend, the one who, per-
haps more than any other except myself, is responsible
for the existence of this book. She had taken many
trout with the fly, but none of over a pound weight, and
was very anxious to exceed that ; so we left the pond
without further disturbing the fish, anxiously discussing
the possibility of getting her in there.

By the somewhat free use of the axe, and by taking a
rather circuitous route it was accomplished. She cast
that afternoon for an hour without the slightest appar-
ent indication that there ever had been a trout in the
whole water. A heavy rain then obliged us to take her
out through the wet woods, without even a rise to re-
ward her for her trouble. I was exceedingly chagrined.
I had told her what we had done and what we had seen,
and as not the slightest doubt was entertained that our
success could not only be repeated but easily surpassed,
I had not hesitated to say so.

Then I vowed a vow, which I commend to the care-
ful consideration of all anglers, old and new alike —
never again, under any circumstances, will I recommend
any fishing locality in terms substantially stronger than
these: ''At that place I have done so and so; under like
conditions it is believed you can repeat it." We are apt
to speak of a place and the sport it affords as we find it,
whereas reflection and experience should teach us that it
is seldom exactly the same, even for two successive days.

The next afternoon was threatening, so we visited the
pond alone, merely intending to cast over it a little, so as

4to Fly-Tods and Fly-tackle,

to locate and study the habits of the fish. Hardly had
we pushed from the bank when we saw a trout roll to
the surface over towards the birches. Three or four
casts in that neighborhood fastened it or another, which,
however, escaped after some five-minutes' play. A cast
or two rose another, which went o£P with a sore moath,
the hook missing a firm hold. In less than two minutes
afterwards a four-pound female was fastened, and landed
after a capital fight. Another female of three and an
eighth pounds followed. This was an exceedingly gamy
fish, and took us well out in the pond before it was
brought to net. We had just disposed of that one when
up rolled a trout which seemed fully two feet long, and
slowly swam along the surface of the water for six or
eight feet with its baik exposed. Around it, and in
plain sight, were some eight or ten other large fish, but
all of inferior size. Though more distant than the school
we had seen the day before, they were within reach, and
the first cast among them attracted the attention of one
of the smaller ones, which proved to weigh three pounds.
Subsequently another of unknown size was lost, and a
male of two and a half pounds was taken. All of these
fish were returned uninjured to the water. The next af-
temoon the lady tempted fortune again, and cast for a
long time without encouragement. However, I am hap-
py to say that later in the day she took a female of four
pounds, which, for so vigorous and constant a fighter,
exhibited surprising endurance; also a smaller one of two
and a half pounds.

It is difficult to draw any perfectly satisfactory gener-
alization from this, since we only know with certainty
that none of the trout we took on September 27th, 28th,
and 29th, 1884, weighed less than one nor more than two

MUceUcmeoua Suggestions. 481

and a half pounds sixteen months before ; for it is hardly
conceivable that any of the first lot shonld have attained
more than that weight between September 29th, 1882,
and June 1st, 1883 — only seven months.

It seems to me, on reflection, that we mnst have been
mistaken in the size of the largest fish we saw, though
we judged it at the moment to be twenty -four inches
long. K so, it must have weighed very closely upon
one side or the other of six pounds, and that seems ut-
terly incredible. Clearly the three fish of four pounds
which were taken could not all have been the original
two-and-a-half pounder, since they were three different
fish. Still assuming such to be the case, or assuming
every trout in the pond to have weighed two pounds
and a half on June 1, 1883, the least it seems possible
to allow is an increase of one and a half pounds in six-
teen months, a result sufficiently surprising.

If one may judge from what one sees, the necessity
of holding a spring-balance by its suspending ring when
weighing trout, so that it may hang perfectly perpendic-
ular, is not as well understood as might be supposed.
It is the extent of the compression of a spiral spring
that is to be read. The extent that this spring will be
compressed by weights indicated on the scale has been
marked by the maker. That the same compression
may result from the same weight, the spring must be
free to act without it and its connecting parts rubbing
against the inside of its casing; that is, the body of the
spring-balance must be perpendicular. Gravity will in-
sure this if the spring-balance be held by its suspend-
ing ring, as it should be when in use.

48d Fly-rods and Fly-tackle,

It is a good idea to test one's spring-balance when
or soon after it is bought, and periodically afterwards.
I test mine at least once every season. It is best done
by comparison with a balance scale — ^not with another
spring-balance, the accuracy of which may be unknown.
A good grocer's scale reading to ounces will answer, but
not a druggist's scale, since the apothecary's ounce is
heavier and his pound lighter than the avoirdupois
ounce and pound, to which the sprmg-balance is grad-
uated. I proceed as follows : I place a small tin pail
or similar receptacle on the grocer's balance, and see what
it weighs. Let us say it is short of half a pound. I
then set the balance to half a pound, and slowly run
water into the pail until it balances exactly. I then
weigh the pail and its contents on my spring-balance, and
see whether it indicates the same weight. If it does,
then I return the pail to the grocer's balance, set it to a
pound, and again add water until it balances, and try my
spring-balance again; and so on throughout its range.

The celebrated scientist. Sir Humphry Davy, men-
tions a method of determining the weight of trout from
their length, in his ScUmonia; or^ Days of Fly-Fishing^
published in 1828. It proceeds on the mathematical
principle that solids of the same shape are to each
other as the cube of their dimensions. In other words,
if we know just how long a pound trout is, we can close-
ly calculate the weight of a trout of any other length.
The problem is worked out by cubing the length in
inches of the unknown trout, and dividing this result
by the cube of the length of the pound trout. This
gives the weight of the unknown trout in pounds or
fractions of a pound.

MUceUaneous Sv>ggestion8. 488

But if the beginner will take a piece of bristol board
as long aB the pocket of his fly-book will conveniently
hold, mark one edge in inches, and then copy the fol-
lowing table upon it, he will be able by it to ascertain
the weight of the trout he takes very closely without
weighing.

i pound — 9 inches 3 pounds — 19 inches

((

22^

23i

((

24i

Suppose we wish to ascertain the weight of a trout,
and have no means of weighing it. If we cut a twig
to the length of the trout over all — that is, from the
end of its nose to the extreme end of the tail fin — as-
certain the length of the twig by the inch marks on the
strip of bristol board, and then consult the table, we
will learn his actual weight so nearly as never to be
put to confusion should our statement of its weight
be confronted with proof of its actual weight. As
the size increases, the margin of possible error increases.
If the fish is not over 19 inches long, and is in normal
condition, neither unusually thin nor unusually hog-
backed, the table will probably give its real weight
within an ounce one way or the other. Should you
take a trout 22 inches long, for example, he will ap-
pear to be a very large trout. I have heard such esti-
mated, even by experienced anglers not accustomed to.

434 FVy-Tods and Fly-tackle.

see trout so large, all the way from six up to seven and
a half pounds. But you may be morally certain if that
lish is not so hog-backed as to amount to obvious ab-
solute deformity, and does not measure over 22 inches
in length, that it does not fairly weigh as much as five
pounds.

That fishing with the fly is not in greater favor as a
ladies' amusement is matter for regret. Where the use
of a boat is practicable, there is no earthly reason why
they should not derive the same mental, moral, and phys-
ical benefit from it as do men. It is a gentle pursuit,
and a cleanly, and affords an ample field for the exercise
of that manual delicacy and skill for which women are
pre-eminent ; while at the same time, unlike almost every
other out-of-door sport, no great muscular exertion is
required, nor over fatigue incurred.

Whether the ladies really have their fair share of the
amusements of life may well be questioned.

It is a mistake on their part if they suppose that gen-
tlemen think them in the way at such times, always pro-
vided they are reasonable. Some there are, as full of
whims as an egg is full of meat, whose sole aim and ob-
ject seem to be to keep half a dozen men skipping about
on frivolous errands. Excluding such from the enumera-
tion, men, not of vicious tastes and habits, have, to put
it mildly, not the slightest objection to the companion-
ship of ladies in any out-of-door amusement in which
they are physically qualified to take part ; nor will it be
other than a pleasure to any angler to afford them all
necessary assistance and instruction.

I have seen several ladies accompany their husbands
to, and take part in fly-fishing. Could they and their

Miscellaneous Suggestions. 485

lady friends but overhear the terms in which other an-
glers then present spoke of them — unless I am mistaken
in supposing that ladies do not altogether despise the
good opinion of men (I speak with diffidence, being a
bachelor) — and that others should envy their husbands
the great good-fortune which has fallen to them in their
wives is not displeasing, then the former would become
confirmed in, and the latter would at once begin to cul-
tivate fiy-fishing.

Men hope for something from women beyond seeing
to the boiling of the potatoes and maintaining discipline
among children, and that is companionship ; and she who
is companionable may feel confident that she has a valid
mortgage on the admiration of all decent men, on which
not one will make default in the payment of interest.

But in introducing ladies to the delights of fly-fish-
ing, it seems to me that a mistake is usually made in
their outfit. As far as my observation goes, they have
generally been furnished with a rod of from eight and
a half to nine feet in length, weighing four or five
ounces. The idea is not to overtax their physical
strength, and thus discourage them. While the idea
is of course all right, it seems to me that its application
is all wrong.

The first essential to full conversion is the encourage-
ment of success. Hope long deferred gives rise to dis-
couragement and distaste. Now, would any experienced
angler fit out a masculine beginner with a four or five
ounce rod ? Would he not consider a beginner so equip-
ped handicapped ? Would he not advocate the use of
a seven or eight or even nine ounce rod by such a one ?
Does not her sex entitle a woman to fully as much con-

486 FVy-TodB and FVy'tacJcU.

sideration as a man, and should not her way to succem
be made at least as easy as bis ? But it will be urged
she has not the physical strength to handle a ten-foot,
seven or eight ounce rod with comfort. This is quite
true if she tries to do it with but one hand, but it is not
true if she uses both hands.

In brief, I think every lady, unless exceptionally
strong, should use a ten-foot rod of considerable power
in fly-fishing, but employing both hands — that is, cast-
ing with both hands just as a man does when salmon-
fishing.

The rod should be arranged as follows :

A hole about a quarter of an inch in diameter should
be drilled through the butt-cap of the selected rod so as
to enter the butt about one and a half inches. A mov-
able plug should be provided to fit the hole, so that it
can be inserted or withdrawn at will. When the plug
is inserted, it is as though the rod had never been al-
tered. It is just as serviceable a single-handed rod as
it ever was. Provide also a handle about three and a
half or four inches long, with a dowel at one end, which
will fit the hole in the butt. When a lady is to use the
rod, withdraw the plug and attach this handle. She
will then have a double-handed rod with a grasp for
one hand above, and for the other hand below the reel,
precisely like a miniature salmon-rod ; and I can assure
my readers she will be able to use this rod with far
more efiiciency and with less than half the muscular
effort required by a five-ounce rod of far less power.

I speak from experience and not conjecture. For
years I have made it my practice to carry a spare rod
so arranged on my angling excursions for the succor of
the unfortunate. It has been used as a single-handed

Miscellaneous Suggestions. 487

rod by many men, and as a double-handed rod by many
ladies, with the result indicated above.

But one thing must by no means be overlooked, or the
scheme will prove a failure.

Casting with a double-handed rod, while almost iden-
tical, yet differs radically in one respect from casting
with a single-handed rod. In casting with a single-
handed rod, the hand holding the rod is the centre of
motion. That is, when the part of the rod above the
hand goes behind for the back cast, the part of the rod
below the hand moves to the front, and vice versa.

This method will not work with a double-handed rod.
The centre of motion must be the extreme butt of the
rod, the upper hand following its motion. That is, the
lower hand grasps the butt rather loosely, the rod swing-
ing on it like a pivot, while the upper hand moves to
and fro with the swaying of the rod. The reason for
this is plain. In working a double-handed rod, the rod
is held opposite the middle of the body, and not off to
one side as with a single-handed rod. The portion of
the rod below the upper hand is so long that if the
upper hand is made the centre of motion the part of
the rod below that hand will swing towards and strike
against the body on the forward cast, and the cast
will be spoiled. About five minutes is ample time to
master this detail, which, even though it may appear
difficult in words, is extremely simple in practice. The
whole trick turns on one point — make the extreme end
of the butt the centre of motion, swinging the rod to
and fro on that, as a door swings on its hinge.

Another point before leaving the subject. The rela-
tive position of the hands should be frequently changed,
say once in every four or five minutes, provided the

488 Fhf-Tods and Fly4ackle.

caster can approximately face the water to be fished.
This so rests the muscles employed that one can cast
for half a day thus with less fatigue than for half an
hour with a single-handed rod. But if the water to be
fished lies to one side, then the hand on the opposite
side should be uppermost — that is, if the cast is to the
right, the left should be the upper hand, and vice versa.
I might mention one other point which, though at
times of practical value, has pleasure for its main ob-
ject. It is always a comfort to know just how far one
is casting ; while sometimes, when a change of fiy has
been made, and it is desired to again reach a definite
spot without moving, it is a positive advantage to know
when the same length of line is out. This may be
readily accomplished by marking the line, one mark at
thirty, two at forty, three at fifty, and a longer mark
at sixty feet from the end, which will usually be quite
sufficient for actual fishing. A little white paint, to
be varnished when thoroughly dry, will answer the
purpose.

The time was, and that at no distant day, when he
who for a moment deserted the tread-mill of life for any
purpose disconnected with money-getting, braved the
disapproval of his friends. Everything which human
ingenuity could devise and the most liberal expenditure
could accomplish, had been done for the moral and in-
tellectual welfare of the nation, but for its physical well-
being, worse than nothing.

That day is past. Wisdom is the child of experience;
and, as one after another of the most promising in the
race of life dropped from the contest, solely from lack
of physical stamina to make use of the ability which

MisceUcmeaics Suggestions. 489

natural aptitude had given and careful training had
fostered, the eyes of this people opened. That a steam-
engine, though perfect in design and faultless in con-
struction, is worthless when coupled with a worn-out
boiler, is now generally accepted as a truth applicable
to the conduct of life. Though but in middle age, it
seems to me I can recognize a marked improvement in
the physique of the rising generation over that of my
own.

Athletics and out-of-door sports have been, and will
continue to be a priceless boon to this nation. It has
applied, and it is now applying a remedy to a disease
which escaped the notice and comment of no intelligent
foreigner who visited our shores. Though we hear it
no more, it must not be forgotten that but a few years
since the pessimist doomed us to extinction as a people,
and that solely from pure physical decay.

To the progress of physical education among us, no
true lover of his country can maintain an attitude of in-
difference. In the hope that I might perhaps add some-
thing to the impetus of this, as it seems to me, all-im-
portant movement, this book has been written.

i ill

INDEX.

Acetone, 60-62.

Action of fly-rods, 163.

Adjusting rods. {See Rod-mak-
ing)

Age of trout, 420, 423.

Aluminum bronze, 147.
reels, 146.

Anatomy of eye of fish, 384.

Apparatus for testing strength
of trout, 136.

Api>earance of flies in water, 40.

Artificial leathers, 62.

Ash and lancewood rods, 169.

Automatic reels, 145.

Bamboo as a rod material, 161.
burns upon, 164.
gluing, 178, 270, 273, 300.
how to order, 165.
planing, 271, 275.
quality of, 166.
repair of, 167, 168.
rods, selection of, 167.
selection of, 276.
splicing, 305.
splitting, 266.
testing, 279.
tips, 265.

to make four - strand rod,
^66,

Bamboo, to make six-strand rod,
276.

Beef wood, 186.

Bethabara, 181.

Black Dose, 369, 376.

Black Fairy fly, 39, 41.

Blacking brass, 245.
copper alloys, 246.

Bois d'Arc (bodock), 188.

Breaking of rods, its cause, 159.

Breaks, to repair. (See Re-
pairs. )

Brown mallard wings, 42.

Calcutta bamboo. {See Bam-
boo.)
Case for rods, 249, 413.
Casting the fly, 318.

back cast, 326, 330, 339,

340.
cast to be noiseless, 330.
cautions to beginners, 344.
how to learn, 318.
length of, usual, 214, 331.
long-distance casting, 66, 69,

71, 165, 214, 332.
maximum fishing cast, 342.
not all of fiy fishing, 339,

340.
position of body and unem«

ployed arm, 324.
position of elbow, 320.

442

Index.

Casting the fly, position of wrist
on back cast, 323.
position of wrist on forward

cast, 324.
position on back cast, 321.
position on front cast, 329.
postponing back cast, 344,

347, 349, 360.
practice of left hand, 330.
purpose of casting, 341.
side cast, 331.
the forward cast, 327, 329.
the pause, 326.
the strike, 28, 332, 342, 363.
with two-handed rod, 436.
Odar for rods, 171.
Celluloid as a water - proofing
discussed, 59.
coated lines, 59.
Cements for ferrules, 224.
Cheap tackle, experimenting

with, 167.
Click of reels, 141.

sprini^s, 148.
Comparative weight of rod

woods, tables, 197, 205.
Competition in angling, 313.
C.omposite rods, 202.
Cutting, selection, and seasoning
rod wood. {8ee Rod Material.)

Dagame wood, 197, 199.
Desiderata in fly-rods, 157.

gut, 103.

lines, 64.
Dowelled ferrules, 230.
Dowelled i;«. simple ferrules, 231,

304.
Draw filing, 271.
Drawn gut, 94.

Drawn tubing for ferrules, 242.
Drop flies, how attached, 116.

Drop flies, how handled, 156.

how spaced. 120.
Dyed gut, visibility of, 109, 381,

388, 396.
Dyeing gut, loss of strength by,
108-
silk-worm gut, 107.

Enamelled water-proof lines, 57,

63.
English lines, 58.

rods, 151.
Experimenting with cheap

tackle, 167.
Experiments in gut-making, 86,
95.
on best color for leaders,

381, 388, 397.
on color of lines, 403.
on strength of trout, 133.
to test strength of trout,
129.
Eyed hooks, 31, 35, 37.
advantage of, 32, 33.
knots for, 120.

Ferrules, 215, 228.
blacking, 245.
care in use of, 250.
cements for, 224.
dowelled ferrules, 230.
dowelled x>%. simple ferrules,

231, 304.
fastening, 223.
fastening pins for, 225, 233,

255, 304.
fitting, 222, 223, 243.
for hexagonal joints, 286.
from tubing, 242.
general discussion of, 231.

Index.

448

Ferrules, hour-glass, 240, 306.
repair of breaks at, 304.
separating, 241, 309.
sizes and lengths for, 228.
Fish-hooks, angle of efficiency,

18-
barbless hooks, 18, 27.
bronzed and blacked, visi-
bility compared, 39.
bronzed hooks, 36, 37, 38.
comments on same, 19.
eyed hooks, 37.
holding power, 16.
how made, 44.
how tested, 49.
how to criticise and select,

22.
lacquering, 37, 48.
lightness and neatness of,

16.
Limerick, round, and Kirby

bends, 17.
loop -eyed hooks, their ad-

tage, 32, 33.
mechanics of, 11, 19.
O'Shaughnessy bends, 27.
overfineness of wire, 13, 24.
penetration of, 14, 19.
Pennell hook, 27, 31.
Pennell's remarks on, 12.
short-shanked hooks, 24.
side-bend discussed, 26.
sizes of, 36.
small barb, 25.
Sneck bend, 17, 26.
Sproat bend, 17, 26, 27, 31.
theoretically perfect hook

impossible, 26.
turn-down loop-eyed hooks,

31, 36, 37.
Fishing at Rangely Lakes, 362,

358.
by ladies, 434.
color of dress when, 408.

Fishing, effect of ripple on, 396.
in British Columbia, 370.
in Maine waters, 28, 76, 315,

337, 347, 352, 358.
in streams, 311, 344, 407,

417.
playing fish when wading,

417.
points for beginners, 344,

367, 402.
striking trout, 28, 332, 342,

363.
wading, 407, 417.
Fishing-lines. {Hee Lines.)
Fishing tackle, best quality only

to be used, 31.
Fitting line to rod, 67, 69.
Flies, appearance in water. 40.
drop flies, 116, 120, 166.
for large trout, 366, 377.
from what depth visible,

404.
how attached to leader, 116,

120.
management on water, 156,

344, 367, 360.
management, rules for, 344.
repairing snell, 310.
selection of, 340, 361, 366.
with snell, loop, and loop-
eyed compared, 32.
Fly-casting, (fifee Casting the

Fly.)
Form of rod handle, 263.

German silver, 244.

to blacken, 246.
Glue, liquid, 300.

use of, 178, 270, 273, 300.
Greenheart, 179.
Growth of trout, 423.
Guides in Maine, 369, 378.

444

Index.

Gut, drawn, 94.

silk -worm, 79. [See Silk-
worm Gut.)

Handle for rod, 208, 247, 250,
252.
form of, 253.
Hickory, for rods, 174.
Hobnails, 408, 413.
Hooks. {Bee Fish-hooks.)
Hornbeam. (See Ironwood.)
Hour-glass ferrules, 240, 306.

Independent rod and handle, 208,

247.
Ink dye for leaders, 108.
Invisible knot, 294, 309.
Ironbark wood, 196.
Ironwood, native, 176.

Jucaro prieto wood, 198, 200.

Keepers and rings, 257.
Knots, attaching tail-ily, 120.
fastening leader to line,

118.
for eyed hooks, 120.
for fastening windings, 294.
for keepers and rings, 257,

293.
for leaders, 112.
the invisible, 294, 309.
the water, 115.
to learn to tie, 116, 119, 120,
291.
Kranji wood, 195.

Ladies' rods, 435.
Lancewood, 169.

Landing-net, course when miss-
ing, 312.
for stream fishing, 417.
Laslett's experiments on woods,

197.
Leaders, 72. {See Silk -worm
Gut.)
attaching tail-fly, 120.
bargains in purchase of, 106.
care of, 138.

color of, 109, 381, 388, 397.
experiments to test strain,

129.
fastening to line, 118.
knots for, 113.
lensth of, 119.
making, 112.

measuring thickness, 106.
strain on in fishing, 128,

133.
tapering, 125.
testing, cases illustrating

its importance, 126.
testing strength of, 106, 125,

378.
visibility of, 109, 381, 388.
396, 402.
Length of fly-rods, 150, 214.
Lines, boiled silk, 53.
celluloid coated, 59.
color of, 403.
cotton-centred, 56.
desiderata, 64.
enamelled waterproofed, 57,

63.
English, 58.
fastening to leader, 118.
judging quality of, 56, 59,

67. 74.
level lines, 65.

Index.

445

liines, marking, 438.

material of, 51, 55.

raw silk, 53.

sizes of, 63, 67, 69.

splicing, 311.

tapered lines, 65, 67.

testing, 66, 74.

waterproof, 55, 57.

waterproofing, 56, 58, 71.
Linoleum, manufacture of, 57.
Liquid glue, 300.
Long-distance casting, 66, 69, 71,
155, 214, 332.

Mahoe, for rods, 172.
Maine fishing. {See Fishing.)
Making rods. {See Rod Mak-
ing.)
tips, 265.
Manufacture of gut from native
worms, 85.
silk-worm gut, 79.
Material for lines, 51.
Measuring thickness of gut,

106.
Mechanics of the fish-hook, 11,

19.
Montreal fly, 377.
Moths, precautions against, 418.

Number of rings for rod, 257,
262.

O.
Osage-orange, 188.

Paddlewood, 187.
Parmachenee Belle, 366.

Penetration of fish-hooks. {See

Fish-hooks.)
Pennell's remarks on fish-hooks,
12.
comments on same, 19.
Pingow wood, 195.
Planes for rod-making, 211.
Purpleheart wood, 201.
Pyengadu wood, 194.

Rangely Lakes, Maine, 352, 358.
Reels, 140.

aluminum, 146.

aluminum alloys, 146.

automatic, 145.

axle of spool, 144.

click of, 141.

click spring, 148.

diagram of click construc-
tion, 142.

location of, 148.

material of, 146.

seat, 251.

shape and construction, 140.
Repairs, 233, 290.

breaks at ferrule, 304.

broken rod, 297, 313.

broken tip, 313.

fitting reel, 311.

fly snell, 310.

loose reel screws, 312.

missing rings, 307.

missing tip ring, 308.

splicing, 267, 297, 304.

winding with silk, 291, 302.
Rings and keepers, 257, 291.
Rod case, 249, 413.
Rod-handle, 208, 247, 250, 253.
Rod-making, 210.

adjusting rod, 226, 259.

cements for ferrules, 224.

determining taper, 216, 219.

446

Index.

Rod-making, draw filing, 271.

finishing, 220, 226, 257.

fitting and fastening fer-
rules, 222, 223, 225.

four - strand split bamboo,
266.

general remarks, 212, 215.

gluing bamboo, 178, 270, 273.

proportioning rods, 216, 219.

rings and keepers, 257, 262.

rounding joints, 226.

seasoning, 174, 206, 220.

six - strand split bamboo,
275.

split-bamboo tips, 265.

straightening by heat, 218.

testing material, 179, 220.

tips, 265.

tools for, 211, 217, 221.

use of glue, 178.

varnishing, 221, 255.

wrapping with silk, 257, 262,
291.
Rod material, 161, 192, 212.

Alaska cedar, 192.

ash and lancewood, 169.

bamboo, 161.

beefwood, or buUitwood, 186.

bethabara, 181.

bodock, 188.

bois d'Arc (osage- orange),
188.

cedar, 171.

chow, 195.

composite rods, 202.

dagame, 197, 199.

domestic, 191.

greenheart, 179.

hickory, 174.

hornbeam, 176.

ironbark, 196.

ironwood, native, 176.

iucaro prieto, 198, 200.

kranji, 195.

Rod material, lancewood, 169.

mahoe, 172.

paddlewood, or rollerwood,
187.

pingow, 195.

purpleheart, 201.

pyengadu, 194.

shadblow, 190.

snakewood, or letterwood,
184.

split bamboo, 161.

table of weights of, 197, 205.

washaba, 183.
Rod wood, cutting, seasoning,
and selection of, 174, 206,
220, 266.

straightening by heat, 218.

testing, 179, 220.
Rods, action of, 153.

bringing tip to butt as test,
157.

cause of breaking, 159.

composite rods, 202.

desiderata, 157.

English, 151.

featherweight, 152.

fitting line to, 67, 69.

for ladies, 435.

length of, 150, 154.

selection of, 208.

throwing apart, 241.
Rubbers, wading, 415.

Selection and seasoning of rod

wood, 174, 206, 220, 256.
Selection of bamboo, 276.

fish-hooks, 22.

flies, 340, 351, 355.

leaders, 103, 125.

lines, 66, 74.

rod, 208.
Separating ferrules, 241, 309.

Index.

447

Shadblow, 190.
Silk for lines, 51.

for winding on rings, etc.,
261.
Silk-worm gut, 79.

bargains in purchase of, 106.

classification of, 106.

dyeing of, 107, 110, 402.

measuring thickness of, 106.

to judge its quality, 103.

trade names, 83.
Silk- worms, native, 84, 89.

native, gut from, 86, 96.
Silver Doctor, 368.
Silver tinsel to be lacquered, 368.
Simple ferrules, 231, 304.
Sizes of lines, 64, 67.
Snakewood, 184.
Splicing breaks, etc., 267, 297,

304.
Splicing line, 311.
Split bamboo rods, 161.
Splitting bamboo, 266.
Spring-Glance, testing, 432.

use of, 431.
Springs, tempering of, 148.
Strength of silk, wet and dry, 54.

trout, 128, 133, 158.
Striking trout, 28, 332, 342, 363.

Table of comparative weight and
length of trout, 433.
of weights of rod wood, 197,
205.
Tail-flies, tying to leader, 120.
Tapered lines, 65, 67.
Test your tackle, 49, 69, 106.
Testing bamboo, 279.
fish-hooks, 49.
leaders, 125.

leaders, cases illustrating its
importance, 126.

Testing lines, 66, 74.

rod wood, 179, 220.

spring-balance, 432.
Tinsel should be lacquered, 368.
Tips for rods, 173, 181, 199, 265.

repair of, 313.
Tools for rod-making, 211, 217,

221.
Trout, anatomy of eye of, 386.

computing weight of, 432.

conduct of, 352, 354, 387.

fasting powers of, 422.

files for large, 366.

from what depth will rise
to fly, 405.

growth of, 423,

hearing, 380.

killing, 417.

longevity of, 420, 423.

sense of smell, 405.

strength of, 128, 130, 168.

table of comparative weight
and length, 433.

vision of, 379, 381, 383.

weight of, 420.

Varnishing rods, 221, 255.
split bamboo rods, 287.
wrappings, 264.
Visibility of leaders, 109, 381,
388, 396.
objects through water, 404.
shadow of rod on water, 396,

405.
to trout of objects on land,
393.
Vision of trout, 379, 381, 383.

Wading clothes, 408, 414.
handling fish when, 417.

448

Index,

Wading, health precautions, 415.

rubbers, 415.

shoes, 408, 413, 414, 415.

staff, 416.
Washaba, 183.
Waterproof lines, 65, 56.
Waterproofing in vacuo, 58.

lines, effect on strength, 55.
Weighing trout, 431.
Weights of rod wood, 205.

of trout, computing, 432.

Winding repairs with silk, 291,

302.
Wood for rods. (See Rod Ma-
terial. )
table of weights of, 197, 205.
Wood, selection and seasoning of.

174, 206.
Wrapping on rings and keepers.

257, 262. .
Wrappings, Tarnishing of silk,

264.

THE SND

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